Metastatic Renal-Cell Carcinoma: What Causes Occasional Dramatic Regressions?

Renal-cell carcinoma constitutes about 2 percent of all cancers, and its incidence is steadily rising. The sporadic form of the disease usually presents in the fifth, sixth, or seventh decade of life, often with locally advanced tumors that are diagnosed after patients notice hematuria or flank pain or present with an abdominal mass. These tumors are twice as common in men as in women, and most arise from the renal cortex. The uncommon familial forms of the disease, seen in disorders such as von Hippel–Lindau disease and tuberous sclerosis, are associated with t(3;8), t(3;6), and t(3;11) translocations.1 Surgery remains the . . .