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Introduction
Renal cancer is also known as renal adenocarcinoma, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), or hypernephroma. It is a disease in which the cells in certain tissues of the kidney start to grow uncontrollably and form a tumor.
Epidemiology
Renal cancer is the most common solid lesion within the kidney and accounts for 90% of all renal cancers. It is the ninth most common cancer in men and fourteenth most common cancer in women. It represents 2% of all cancers, with the highest incidence occurring in Western countries and Europe compared to Asia and Africa. The higher rates in developed countries suggest increases in established risk factors, the role of lifestyle, and increased detection of renal cancer. In Asia, Japan has the highest incidence of kidney cancer with higher prevalence seen in urban areas.
Risk Factors
The risk factors for renal cancer include:
- Ages between 50 to 70 years old
- Men are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop kidney cancer than women
- Chronic hepatitis C infection
- Chronic kidney disease or in long-term dialysis
- Exposure to cadmium and asbestos
- Family history of kidney cancer and hereditary diseases (eg von Hippel-Lindau [VHL], hereditary papillary renal carcinoma [HPRC], Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome [BHDS], tuberous sclerosis complex [TSC], hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer [HLRCC], hereditary paraganglioma-pheochromocytoma syndrome [PGL/PCC])
- High blood pressure
- Obesity
- Overuse of medications such as Aspirin, Paracetamol and Ibuprofen
- Polycystic kidney disease
- Tobacco smoking