Renal cell carcinoma

The overall incidence of renal cell carcinoma is rising, for reasons not fu lly explained by increased abdominal imaging. Risk factors associated with renal cell carcinoma include hypertension, smoking, increased body mass ind ex, and diet. There is an inverse association of renal cell carcinoma risk with consumption of a variety of carotenes. In addition, increased red meat intake has been associated with increased risk. Partial nephrectomy may be as effective as radical nephrectomy as treatment for localized disease, an d radiosurgery may be as effective as surgical resection in the management of brain metastases. Immunotherapy remains the mainstay for systemic treatm ent, with response rates between 5% and 20%. Survival in renal cell carcino ma is related to pathologic stage, nuclear grade, microscopic vascular inva sion, DNA content, nuclear morphometry, and histologic pattern. In addition , patients with deletion (8p)/-8, +12, and +20 appear to have a worse progn osis. Curr Opin Oncol 2000, 12:260-264 (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilki ns. Inc.