Are primary renal cell carcinoma and metastases of renal cell carcinoma the same cancer?

Abstract

Metastasis is a process consisting of cells spreading from the primary site of the cancer to distant parts of the body. Our understanding of this spread is limited and molecular mechanisms causing particular characteristics of metastasis are still unknown. There is some evidence that primary renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and metastases of RCC exhibit molecular differences that may effect on the biological characteristics of the tumor. Some authors have detected differences in clear cell and nonclear cell component between these 2 groups of tumors. Investigators have also determined that primary RCC and metastases of RCC diverge in their range of renal-specific markers and other protein expression, gene expression pattern, and microRNA expression. There are also certain proteins that are variously expressed in primary RCCs and their metastases and have effect on clinical outcome, e.g., endothelin receptor type B, phos-S6, and CD44. However, further studies are needed on large cohorts of patients to identify differences representing promising targets for prognostic purposes predicting disease-free survival and the metastatic burden of a patient as well as their suitability as potential therapeutic targets. To sum up, in this review we have attempted to summarize studies connected with differences between primary RCC and its metastases and their influence on the biological characteristics of renal cancer.

The Expression of Fibroblast Activation Protein in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinomas Is Associated with Synchronous Lymph Node Metastases

“…In the context of a metastatic disease, the importance of classic prognostic factors such as tumor diameter, stage and histological grade of the primary tumor, decreases considerably [17]. So, the identification of alterations that may influence tumor behavior and clinical outcome in primary tumors and metastases is needed to improve the management of these patients [18]. Very recently lymph node metastases have proved negative impact on the survival of mCCRCC treated with targeted therapies [19].…”

Dissecting LncRNA Roles in Renal Cell Carcinoma Metastasis and Characterizing Genomic Heterogeneity by Single-Cell RNA-seq

“…As shown in Supplementary Fig. S3A, a hierarchical clustering of single cells was performed on a set of previously published metastatic tumor-specific genes (27,28). The mRCC and pRCC cells were segregated into distinct clusters, but Pt-mRCC (green) and PDX-mRCC (yellow) cells cannot be distinguished by clustering, indicating their high proximity.…”

The prognostic value of BAP1, PBRM1, pS6, PTEN, TGase2, PD-L1, CA9, PSMA, and Ki-67 tissue markers in localized renal cell carcinoma: A retrospective study of tissue microarrays using immunohistochemistry

“…This high mortality rate for RCC is due to a lack of confirmed, efficacious therapeutic options for long-term tumor control. The difficulty in developing new treatment for RCC lies in its resistance to radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy [4], intra- and intertumor heterogeneity, and the heterotypic characteristics of pleomorphic RCC histology [5, 6]. …”