Renal Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer. It has affected the world with a mortality rate of 30 to 40%, which is more commonly seen in men than women (Bahadoram, S., Davoodi, M., Hassanzadeh, S., Bahadoram, M., Barahman, M., & Mafakher, L. 2022). With improvements in diagnostic tests, such as CT and MRI imaging, a drastic amount of diagnosed patients has grown rapidly in RCC. There are many risk factors which include obesity, hypertension, smoking, and chronic kidney disease. The most common type of RCC is clear cell carcinoma that frequently occurs due to mutations in the VHL gene. The most selective technique to maintain kidneys in patients is Nephron Sparing surgery, but surgeries to remove small tumors include radical nephrectomy and partial nephrectomy.  Patients with metastatic RCC are treated with surgical approaches, adjuvant therapy, and targeted therapy. This article covers RCC including its epidemiology, risk factors, pathophysiology, genetics, and treatments.