Epidemiology of kidney cancer

Our plain-English summary of Epidemiology of kidney cancer, by D. Pascual, A. Borque (Advances in Urology, 2008).

The study

• Authors: D. Pascual, A. Borque
• Journal: Advances in Urology
• Published: 2008;2008:782381
• Cited by: 54 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Some tumors are known to have a definite cause-effect etiology, but renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is not one of them precisely. With regard to RCC we can only try to identify some clinical and occupational factors as well as substances related to tumorigenesis. Smoking, chemical carcinogens like asbestos or organic solvents are some of these factors that increase the risk of the RCC. Viral infections and radiation therapy have also been described as risk factors. Some drugs can increase the incidence of RCC as well as other neoplasms. Of course, genetics plays an outstanding role in the development of some cases of kidney cancer. Chronic renal failure, hypertension, and dialysis need to be considered as special situations. Diet, obesity, lifestyle, and habits can also increase the risk of RCC. The aim of this review is to summarize the well-defined causes of renal cell carcinoma.

In plain English

This was a review article, not a new study. The authors searched PubMed for publications on the epidemiology of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a kidney cancer. They limited the search to articles from the previous five years, in English or Spanish, about humans, and it found 585 articles. They summarized factors that other studies had linked to RCC, including smoking, obesity, inherited conditions, dialysis, drugs and chemicals. On asbestos, the review stated that two earlier cohort studies, one of insulation workers and one of asbestos products workers, had reported a significantly elevated death rate from kidney cancer. It added that autopsy surveys and animal studies indicate asbestos fibers can be deposited in kidney tissue. A table credited to another study listed asbestos exposure with a relative risk of 1.1, but the interval printed beside it (1.4 to 1.8) does not include 1.1, so that figure cannot be read reliably. The authors stated that the causes and risk factors of RCC are not completely understood. They concluded that smoking and obesity seem to be the most important independent risk factors. The review did not name asbestos fiber types.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Review article based on a literature search of PubMed, limited to articles from the previous 5 years, in English or Spanish, about humans
• Who was studied: Published studies on the epidemiology of renal cell carcinoma; the search found 585 articles, last reviewed 31 March 2008
• Exposure: Many proposed risk factors for renal cell carcinoma, including smoking and chemical carcinogens such as asbestos (insulation workers and asbestos products workers; no fiber types named) and organic solvents
• Main results:
  • The review reported that two earlier cohort studies, of insulation workers and of asbestos products workers, found a significantly elevated mortality rate for kidney cancer (findings of those studies, not of this review)
  • The review stated that autopsy surveys and animal studies indicate asbestos fibers can be deposited in kidney tissue
  • A table attributed to another study lists asbestos exposure with a relative risk of 1.1 and a 95% interval printed as 1.4 to 1.8. The interval does not contain the estimate, so the figure is internally inconsistent as printed.
  • Citing other research, the review stated that smokers have an estimated 2.3-fold risk ratio for RCC, related to the number of cigarettes smoked
  • Citing other research, the review stated that obesity accounts for about 30% of renal cancers
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that smoking and obesity seem to be the most important independent risk factors for RCC
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors stated that the causes and risk factors of RCC are not completely understood
  • The authors noted that the studies they reviewed gave conflicting results

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Epidemiology, Etiology, Carcinoma, Carcinogenesis, Neoplasm, Habit.

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