Read more about this disease, some with Classification – Types – Signs and symptoms – Genetics – Pathophysiology – Diagnosis – Screening – Prevention – Treatment and management – Cures and much more, some including pictures and video when available.
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC, aka hypernephroma) is the most common form of kidney cancer arising from the proximal renal tubule. It is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults, responsible for approximately 80% of cases. [1]. Initial treatment is most commonly a radical or partial nephrectomy and remains the mainstay of curative treatment.[2] Where the tumour is confined to the renal parenchyma, the 5-year survival rate is 60-70%, but this is lowered considerably where metastases have spread. It is resistant to radiation therapy and chemotherapy, although some cases respond to immunotherapy. Targeted cancer therapies such as sunitinib, temsirolimus, bevacizumab, interferon-alpha, and possibly sorafenib have improved the outlook for RCC (progression-free survival), although they have not yet demonstrated improved survival.
The classic triad is hematuria (blood in the urine), flank pain and an abdominal mass. This is now known as the ‘too late triad’ because by the time patients present with symptoms, their disease is often advanced beyond a curative stage. In addition, whilst this triad is highly suggestive of RCC, it only occurs in around 15% of the sufferers. Today, the majority of renal tumors are asymptomatic and are detected incidentally on imaging, usually for an unrelated cause.
Signs may include:
Recent genetic studies have altered the approaches used in classifying renal cell carcinoma. The following system can be used to classify these tumors:[4][5][6]
Other associated genes include TRC8, OGG1, HNF1A, HNF1B, TFE3, RCCP3, and RCC17.
Around 208,500 new cases of kidney cancer are diagnosed in the world each year, accounting for just under 2% of all cancers.[7] The highest rates are recorded in Northern America and the lowest rates in Asian and African regions. [8]
The incidence of renal cancers has been rising steadily. Nearly 51190 new diagnoses and 12890 deaths reported in the United States in 2007. It is more common in men than women: the male-to-female ratio is 1.6:1 and has been decreasing over the last decade. Blacks have a slightly higher rate of renal cell cancer than whites. The reasons for this are not clear.[9] Note: in epidemiology, RCC is registered together with renal pelvis carcinoma, which is predominantly transitional cell type.
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