The kidneys filter the blood, maintain proper blood pressure and protect against nutrient loss in the urine. Kidney cancer develops as a result of uncontrolled cell proliferation within the kidney, leading to tumors that can invade neighboring tissues and metastasize throughout the body. Cancer development is a multistep process requiring the accumulation of multiple genetic mutations that affect cell growth. A number of factors play a role in the development of kidney cancer.
Von Hippel-Lindau Disease
Von Hippel-Lindau disease, or VHL, is an inherited genetic disorder thats leads to multiple tumors throughout the body, including renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer. VHL develops from a mutation to the VHL gene. Under normal conditions, the VHL gene works as a tumor suppressor, controlling cell growth to prevent tumor formation. In VHL, the gene mutates so it is non-functional, and the patient develops cancer. According to the Atlas of Genetics and Cytogenetics in Oncology and Haematology, kidney cancer as a result VHL is generally treated with surgery to remove the tumor, or surgery to remove the affected kidney.
Obesity
Obesity is considered a risk factor for kidney cancer, because an unhealthy lifestyle is linked to development of the disease. According to the New Jersey Medical School, overweight or obese women are at especially high risk of developing kidney cancer. The medical school defines a person as overweight and obese if she has a body mass index, or BMI, greater than 25 or 30, respectively. The New Jersey Medical School reports that overweight women with a BMI of at least 25 have a 35 percent higher risk of developing kidney cancer, while obese women with a BMI of at least 30 have a 70 percent higher risk. Severely obese women with a BMI of more than 40 increased their risk by 250 percent. Decreasing body weight with a balanced diet and exercise may lower the risk of developing kidney cancer, although further research is required to better understand the link between obesity and the disease.
Smoking
Regular smoking is linked to kidney cancer. The University of Chicago Medical Center reports that smoking can double the risk of kidney cancer, and the risk of cancer increases the more a patient smokes. Although the exact mechanism by which smoking causes kidney cancer is not yet known, it may cause mutations in genes that contribute to tumor growth. In a 2010 study published in the International Journal of Cancer, Dr. S. Oh found that smoking increased mutations in a number of inflammatory genes, and he identified a specific gene, called IL10. IL10 increases inflammation and allows new blood vessels to develop--an essential step in cancer development. Further research into the role of smoking in IL10 mutation will shed light on smoking's role in kidney cancer.
References
- Atlas of Genetics and Cytogenetics in Oncology and Haematology: Von Hippel-Lindau
- New Jersey Medical School: Overweight and Kidney Cancer
- University of Chicago Medical Center: Kidney Cancer
- National Institutes of Health: Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of 8 Inflammation-Related Genes and Their Associations With Smoking-Related Cancers
