Nephrological management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients: A narrative review

Abstract

Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) is the most frequent malignancy encountered in general nephrology practice; when kidney disease develops in the setting of RCC, it may limit long-term outcomes, patients often dying of a non-cancer-related complication of kidney disease. There is a reciprocal relationship between renal cancer and kidney; chronic kidney disease can increase the risk of developing kidney cancer, and patients with RCC often experience renal impairment owing to pre-existing chronic kidney disease (CKD), hypertension (HTN), diabetes mellitus (DM), and/or other medically challenging comorbidities, or risk factors for CKD. Nephrologists should be involved in all aspects of RCC patients’ care, from pre-nephrectomy evaluation, to management of post-nephrectomy CKD, through the recognition and management of anticancer drugs-related kidney toxicity. This collaborative approach to RCC care will further improve the clinical outcomes of kidney cancer patients.