Kidney cancer

Kidney cancer is being detected earlier thanks to modern diagnostic techniques, meaning more patients receive treatment.

Obese people have a higher incidence of kidney cancer, but are also more likely to survive the disease. Is the 'obesity paradox' real or an artefact of how studies are conducted?

Alcohol intake boosts the risk of cancers of the liver, breast and colon, but it seems to reduce the risk of kidney cancer.

We need to combine epidemiology and exposures research to fulfil the potential of precision medicine, say John Leppert and Chirag Patel.

Advanced tumours may have met their match with new drugs, but why have these treatments proved ineffective at stopping early-stage tumours from coming back?

Immunotherapies such as checkpoint inhibitors unleash the body's ability to defend itself against kidney cancer.

We need to focus on five main areas to make real progress in the treatment of kidney cancer, says Robert J. Motzer.

This protocol describes how to implant patient-derived tumor samples into mice and use then use mice as a preclinical model for drug testing.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a progressive inherited disorder in which renal tissue is gradually replaced with fluid-filled cysts. Interestingly, improved understanding of the signalling and pathological derangements characteristic of ADPKD has revealed marked similarities to those of solid tumours. Here, the authors examine the pathological features and signalling pathways common to both ADPKD and cancer. Their analysis highlights potential avenues for further research and therapeutic potential in both diseases.

The genomic characterization of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is central to the development of novel targeted therapies and multiple 'omics' platforms have identified key driver genes and commonly altered pathways. In this Review, Haddad and Margulis critically evaluate the key advances in the molecular characterization of tumour and patient factors in RCC.