With evidence demonstrating the lack of efficacy of anti-VEGF therapy in patients with elevated levels of immune checkpoint signatures (Hara et al., 2017; Shin et al., 2015) and preliminary clinical studies showing encouraging results when treating RCC using PD-1/CTLA4-targeting therapies (Motzer et al., 2018), it is vital to identify theranostic markers to improve patient outcome and overall survival. This evidence concerns the gene CTLA4 and renal cell carcinoma.