Intermittent sunitinib treatment is a feasible first-line approach in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), providing a median progression-free survival duration of 37.6 months. Cyclic re-introduction of sunitinib after a treatment break might increase the duration of a response owing to resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors being largely dependent on reversible changes in gene expression. Biomarkers are needed to enable selection of the best candidates for intermittent treatment.
