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Immune checkpoint inhibitors
Source: Renal Cell Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: May 13, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary.
Context: Treatment of Stage IV and Recurrent Renal Cell Cancer / Immunotherapy
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are drugs that block certain proteins that inhibit the immune system's response to cancer. These proteins down-regulate T-lymphocyte activity and can prevent these cells from killing cancer cells. By reducing the activity of these inhibitory proteins, immune checkpoint inhibitors increase the immune response to cancer. Immune checkpoint proteins that are targeted by this class of drugs include programmed death-1 (PD-1), programmed cell death-ligand-1 (PD-L1), and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4).
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Preserved source evidence · Not medical advice