BACKGROUND: Research has helped to better understand renal cell carcinoma and enhance management of patients with locally advanced and metastatic disease. More recently, artificial intelligence has emerged as a powerful tool in cancer research, particularly in oncologic imaging. BODY: Despite promising results of artificial intelligence in renal cell carcinoma research, most investigations have focused on localized disease, while relatively fewer studies have targeted advanced and metastatic disease. This paper summarizes major artificial intelligence advances focusing mostly on their potential clinical value from initial staging and identification of high-risk features to predicting response to treatment in advanced renal cell carcinoma, while addressing major limitations in the development of some models and highlighting new avenues for future research.

CONCLUSION: Artificial intelligence-enabled models have a great potential in improving clinical practice in the diagnosis and management of advanced renal cell carcinoma, particularly when developed from both clinicopathologic and radiologic data.