Blog

Dr. Eric Kauffman received a Kidney Cancer Association Research Award in 2021 for a project called “Biology of spontaneously regressing renal cell carcinoma primary tumors” that looked at how and why some kidney tumors shrink on their own, without treatment. Here, KCA’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Salvatore La Rosa, shares some recent updates and learnings from Dr. Kauffman’s research. A…

Two investigators recently received funding from the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) for research on improved immunotherapy approaches to treating kidney cancer. CRI awarded these investigators in addition to a joint Kidney Cancer Association-CRI award earmarked to fund a kidney cancer project. https://www.kidneycancer.org/qa-david-braun/ Dr. David Braun, a medical oncologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, was…

Sidi Chen, PhD, was named the 2025 Kidney Cancer Association-Cancer Research Institute Clinic and Laboratory Integration Program (CLIP) Investigator to research "Initial development of a CAR-T-drug conjugate against solid tumor and application in kidney cancer." Dr. Chen, Associate Professor of Genetics and of Neurosurgery at the Yale School of Medicine, plans to pair chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapy, which has…

This is a guest post by Reena Cherry, MS, PA-C of UC San Diego Health and a member of the Kidney Cancer Association's Clinical Advisory Board. Reena Cherry, MS, PA-C When you hear the words "kidney mass", "tumor", "lesion", or "growth" after a routine scan, it’s easy to feel alarmed. But not all kidney lesions are cancerous, especially if they…

We rounded up a few research highlights from the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, held recently in Chicago, IL. Long-Term Trial Results Ipi/Nivo combo remains superior to sunitinib after a decade of data Dr. Robert Motzer presents final results on ipi/nivo. After an average 9 years of follow-up – the longest reported follow-up data from an immunotherapy combination treatment…

Team Captain Lindsay Walker (right) with a participant at the KCA Regional Challenge: Oregon! Team – 2025 KCA Regional Challenge: Oregon Team Captain – Lindsay Walker, chromophobe RCC survivor and patient advocate. This is Lindsay's second year leading Oregon's KCA Regional Challenge! Location – Tualatin Community Park in Tualatin, Oregon Date – April 12, 2025 Attendees: 60 Fundraising Goal: $8,100 Amount Raised – $37,840 Activity – “Choose…

The Kidney Cancer Association's President and CEO, Gretchen E. Vaughan, shared a statement with the medical news publication MedPage Today opposing the President's proposed budget for fiscal year 2026, which slashed funding for the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute by nearly 40%. These cuts would be a devastating setback in medical progress and the KCA stands…

Carrots help you see in the dark. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis. Many old health myths were technically rooted in a fact but got changed, generalized, or taken so far out of context that the original information is no longer clear. Today's health myths often follow the same pattern, especially on the…

The Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research (RTFCCR) and the Kidney Cancer Association (KCA) are proud to announce a new joint Request for Applications (RFA) to advance the early detection and diagnosis of kidney cancer. This collaborative funding opportunity supports clinical validation studies and early-phase interventional trials (Phase I or II) that leverage innovative imaging technologies, biomarkers, or monitoring…

Team Captain Sarah Tuck Team – 2025 KCA Regional Challenge: Pennsylvania Team Captain – Sarah Tuck, Senior Manager of Patient Programs for the KCA. Sarah's grandmother, Patricia Rutter, was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2018 and passed away in 2023. Location – Middletown Skate Park in Bucks County, Pennsylvania Date – May 24, 2025 Attendees: 35 Amount Raised – $330 Activity – Skateboarding for Change! Event…