| [ Summary ] |
Acquired renal cysts develop in diseased kidneys in dialysis patients. Acquired renal cystic disease (ACDK) occurs with a high frequency in these patients. Since cyst epithelia show high proliferative activity, renal cell carcinoma quite frequently develops in dialysis patients. Since very few renal transplantations are performed in Japan, almost all patients with end-stage renal disease are treated with hemodialysis. To evaluate the present status of renal cell carcinoma in dialysis patients in Japan, national-wide questionnaire studies have been performed 11 times. In this review, the results of these studies are reported. Some aspects of renal cell carcinomas in dialysis patients differ from those of renal cell carcinomas in the general population. The mean age of renal cell carcinoma in dialysis patients is lower, there is a preponderance of males with renal cell carcinoma among dialysis patients, and there is a high incidence in long-term hemodialysis patients, as well as a high frequency of papillary renal cell carcinoma seen with histology. Since the incidence of renal cell carcinoma in dialysis patients is high and renal cell carcinoma is usually asymptomatic, screening for renal cell carcinoma among high-risk dialysis patients is necessary. |