Abstract
The 7th Kidney Cancer Research Summit (KCRS) took place on July 17th & 18th, 2025 as a hybrid event both in Boston, Massachusetts at the InterContinental Hotel, and virtually via Zoom webinar. The conference format consists of oral presentations and a poster session in an intimate setting that enables dynamic discussion among attendees. This year kicked off with a keynote titled “Leading the Way in Fostering Early Careers with a Focus on Kidney Cancer,” delivered by the most recent Director of the National Cancer Institute, W. Kimryn Rathmell. An unfortunate backdrop to the meeting was the elimination of the Department of Defense’s Kidney Cancer Research Program awards for Fiscal Year 2025, which had historically been the basis of programming for projects presented at past KCRS events. Nevertheless, the defiant mood of attendees and speakers was that basic, translational, and clinical research in kidney cancer must endure. Sessions at this year’s conference included Kidney Cancer Research That Delivers (focusing on the impact of projects funded by federal research now reaching the clinic); Genetic Evaluation and Screening for Early Detection of Kidney Cancer; The Emerging Role of Precision Immunotherapy in Kidney Cancer; Clinical and Scientific Updates in Kidney Cancer; Trials in Progress; Oral Abstracts; Rapid Abstracts; and a Biotech Showcase. There was also a poster session, as well as smaller presentations on non-clear cell RCC and a First-Year Report from the International Neoadjuvant Kidney Cancer Consortium. KCRS was inaugurated in 2019 to congregate the community of researchers conducting projects involving kidney cancer with researchers, clinicians, industry partners, and patient advocates in order to foster new collaborations and generate constructive feedback. KCRS is funded through sponsors, partnerships, and grassroots supporters organized by KidneyCAN, a nationwide network of kidney cancer patients, caregivers, and family members who are committed to accelerating cures for kidney cancer. Their goal is to give current and future projects the best chance to succeed and ensure the orientation of goals towards raising the standard of care and improving patient outcomes across all histological subtypes and stages of this disease. This supplement contains a complete list of scheduled abstract presentations and posters that were accepted as of May 19, 2025. Please be aware that some abstracts may have been withdrawn or rescheduled at the authors’ request.