Kidney Papillary Carcinoma
Last Updated: January 16, 2011
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What is kidney cancer?
The most common type of kidney cancer is called renal cell carcinoma. This cancer forms in the cells lining the small tubules in the kidney that filter waste from the blood and make urine. An estimated 58,240 Americans were expected to have been diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2010 and an estimated 13,040 to have died of this cancer.1 Most people with kidney cancer are usually over 55 years of age and this cancer is more common in men. When detected early, most cases of kidney cancer can be treated effectively. However, survival rates are low when the cancer has spread from the kidney to other parts of the body. View additional information on kidney cancer.
The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) will analyze two subtypes of renal cell carcinoma called clear cell carcinoma and papillary carcinoma. The identification of these subtypes of kidney cancer is based on how the cancer cells look under a microscope. Kidney clear cell carcinoma is the most common type of kidney cancer, representing approximately 92 percent of such cases. Papillary carcinoma accounts for about 8 percent.2
What types of discoveries about kidney clear cell and papillary carcinoma do TCGA researchers hope to make?
- Identify unique patterns of genomic changes that divide clear cell and papillary carcinoma tumors into subgroups
- Identify genomic differences that distinguish tumors across gender, race or ethnicity
- Determine if specific patterns of genomic changes are connected to tumor recurrence after therapy
Where can I find more information about the TCGA Research Network’s studies or studies using TCGA data.
View a list of TCGA scientific publications.
Where can I find cancer clinical trials to treat kidney cancers that are supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI)?
View a list of NCI-supported kidney clear cell carcinoma clinical trials or kidney papillary carcinoma clinical trials that are now accepting patients.
Selected References
1American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts and Figures 2010. Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society, 2010. The estimated number of kidney cancer new cases and deaths are a combined total for renal cell carcinoma and renal pelvis carcinoma.
2Chow W-H, Dong LM, and Devesa SS: Epidemiology and risk factors for kidney cancer. Nature Reviews Urology 7(5):245-257, 2010.
