Renal cell carcinoma

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Kidney anatomy

Kidney tumor - CT scan

Kidney metastases, CT scan

Kidney - blood and urine flow

Renal cell carcinoma

Definition:

Renal cell carcinoma isa type of kidney cancer.The cancerous cells are found in the lining of very small tubes (tubules) in the kidney. Itis the most common type of kidney cancer in adults.

Alternative Names:
Renal cancer; Kidney cancer; Hypernephroma; Adenocarcinoma of renal cells; Cancer - kidney
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

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Renal cell carcinoma affects about 3 in 10,000 people, resulting in about 32,000 new cases in the US per year. Every year, about 12,000 people in the US die from renal cell carcinoma. It occurs is most common in people between 50 and 70 years of age, and typically affects men.

The exact cause is unknown.

Risk factors include:

Smoking
Genetics
Family history of the disease
Dialysis treatment
von Hippel-Lindau disease, a hereditary disease that affects the capillaries of the brain

The first symptom is usually blood in the urine. Sometimes both kidneys are involved. The cancer spreads easily, most often to the lungs and other organs. About one-third of patients have spreading (metastasis) at the time of diagnosis.

References:

US Food and Drug Administration. FDA Approves New Treatment for Advanced Kidney Cancer. Rockville, MD: National Press Office; December 20, 2005. Press Release P05-107.

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