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Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have antitumor activity in advanced prostate cancer associated with loss of homologous recombination repair (HRR) function. About 20% of all patients with advanced prostate cancer present germline or tumor mutations in HRR-related genes, the most common being BRCA2, mutated in approximately 10% of all advanced prostate cancers. Challenges related to sample availability, tumor heterogeneity and access to NGS technology need to be addressed for a successful implementation of genomic stratification in routine clinical practice. The recent regulatory approvals of PARP inhibitors olaparib and rucaparib represent the first molecular biomarker-guided drugs for men with prostate cancer. While these findings represent a significant advance in the field of precision medicine and prostate cancer, there are still many unsolved questions on the optimal use of PARP inhibitors in this disease. Several clinical trials have shown that different mutations in various genes are associated with distinct magnitudes of sensitivity to PARP inhibitors, with BRCA2 mutations associating with more frequent and durable responses, questioning the benefit for subset of patients with mutations in other HRR-associated genes. In this review, we scrutinize the clinical development of different PARP inhibitors for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer, and we discuss how the study of additional biomarkers and the design of rational drug combinations can maximize patient benefit from this drug class.

Purpose of review Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the 6th most often diagnosed cancer in men and the 10th in women. Nearly 75% of the renal cancer cases are clear cell histologic subtype, whereas nonclear cell histologies represent the remaining 25%. Treatment options for clear renal type are well established. However, as nonclear RCC represents a heterogenous and less frequent group. Current treatment options for these tumors are limited and mostly based on evidence derived from small phase II clinical trials. The present review aims to provide an update of the available treatment options for nonclear RCC. Recent findings In the past decade, the vascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, sunitinib, and mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors, everolimus, and temsirolimus, have demonstrated limited efficacy in nonclear RCC. Recent studies with MET inhibitors and immunotherapy-based combinations have proven promising activity, especially in certain subgroups of patients, such as patients with MET-driven disease or patients with sarcomatoid features RCC. Summary Here, we report currently available data about biology and treatment of nonclear cell RCC.