 While many consider immunotherapy to be a new class of emerging drugs, there is research dating back to the early 90s that show longer duration of remission for some patients who have been treated for advanced kidney cancer, also known as metastatic renal cell carcinoma. In some patients, immunotherapy can have a long-lasting effect, essentially putting your cancer into remission for months or even years without the need for daily medication. Immunotherapy is different from target therapy in that it specifically impacts cellular pathways affecting kidney cancer growth and metastasis. Immunotherapy is a biologic treatment that is designed to boost the body's natural defenses, allowing it to fight off cancer cells. There are two classes of immunotherapies that are available to patients with metastatic kidney cancer, interleukins and interferons. Interleukins can boost the body's natural defenses by producing more cytokines. These cytokines stimulate types of cells that are capable of destroying cancer cells. Proleukin, commonly referred to as IL-2, is the only interleukin that is FDA approved for the treatment of advanced kidney cancer. Interferons help the immune system fight cancer by slowing the growth of cancer cells, allowing the immune system to have time to fight. Intron A and Rhoferon A are the two drugs in this category that are available for patients with advanced kidney cancer. In addition to these FDA approved immunotherapies, PD-1 inhibitors are a new type of immunotherapy that is currently being researched in metastatic kidney cancer. One PD-1 inhibitor is already approved for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. Some patients with advanced disease might also consider a number of available clinical trials. Talk with your doctor about whether immunotherapy might be an option for you or if you should consider an immunotherapy clinical trial.