HIF1A predicts the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy in advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Immunotherapy for cancer has become a revolutionary treatment, with the progress of immunological research on cancer. Cancer patients have also become more diversified in drug selection. Individualized medical care of patients is more important in the era of precision medicine. For advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients, immunotherapy and targeted therapy are the two most important treatments. The development of biomarkers for predicting the efficacy of immunotherapy or targeted therapy is indispensable for individualized medicine. There is no clear biomarker that can accurately predict the efficacy of immunotherapy for advanced ccRCC patients. Our study found that HIF1A could be used as a biomarker for predicting the anti-PD-1 therapy efficacy of patients with advanced ccRCC, and its prediction accuracy was even stronger than that of PD-1/PD-L1. HIF1A is expected to help patients with advanced ccRCC choose therapeutic drugs.