A Rare Subtype of Renal Cell Carcinoma
Chromophoberenal cellcarcinomais a somewhat uncommon punch in ofkidney cancer.
People with this subtype tend to do better than those with some other types of kidney cancer.
The name chromophobe comes from the way these cancer cells look when examined under the microscope using certain dyes.
Verywell / Laura Porter
Scientists first described this specific kind of cancer in the 1980s.
Carcinoma is a word for cancers that begin in the cells that line the internal organs.
About 90% of cancers that start in the kidney are classified as renal cell carcinoma.
Scientists eventually learned that certain kidney cancers behave somewhat differently than others.
And those cancers seemed to share certain similarities, like how well they responded to specific treatments.
Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma is a subtype of renal cell carcinoma.
That is, their cancer isnt as advancedhasnt grown and spread as muchcompared to people with other subtypes.
A lot of complex genetic and environmental factors seem to be involved.
Like other kinds of cancer, chromophobe RCC develops partly due to changes in a persons genetic material.
Many factors may cause your genetic materialyour DNAto become slightly damaged during your lifetime.
This is known as an acquiredgenetic mutation.
Usually, this isnt a big deal.
However, if a specific cell inside your kidneys gets several mutations, it might start to behave abnormally.
For example, it might begin to grow and reproduce when it normally shouldnt.
In other words, it turns into cancer.
Certain things might increase the risk of dangerous mutations.
However, most of the time, a clear cause cant be found.
Its complex, but certain parts of your DNAspecific genesseem to be damaged in chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.
For example, a gene called TP53 is commonly affected in people who have the disease.
That, paired with a physical exam, may point to kidney cancer as a potential concern.
Although they cant be used for definitivediagnosis, a number of medical tests can provide some clues.
They might also rule out other potential causes of your symptoms.
Some of these include:
Imaging tests can also be important for diagnosis.
These can reveal if something abnormal is present on the kidney.
This can happen in different ways.
The clinician can often tell from all these other indicators that kidney cancer is very likely.
After that happens, they can send a portion of suspected cancerous tissue to the laboratory.
This is when you might be told that you have chromophobe RCC specifically.
There, an expert can definitively diagnose chromophobe RCC.
Treatment
Treatment for chromophobe renal cell carcinoma will depend a lot on the cancersstage.
That refers to how much the cancer has spread throughout your body.
Your surgeon might recommend total removal of your kidney (radicalnephrectomy).
The idea is to completely remove the cancer from your body through surgery.
Usually, no further treatment is needed.
For example, radiation therapysometimes used for other types of cancersis not a standard part of treatment.
However, your doctor will probably want to monitor your kidneys for signs that your cancer has returned.
For example, you might need periodic imaging tests (like CT scans) of the area.
Some other procedures are alternatives to traditional surgery that may make sense for some people.
These dont require large cuts to be made through the area.
Instead, they are techniques that burn or freeze away the cancerous part of the kidney.
Surgery alone cant cure the disease.
People with stage 4 chromophobe RCC usually need additional treatments as well.
For instance, chemotherapy may help slow the tumor’s growth and help you live longer with fewer symptoms.
Scientists are still learning about the best combinations of drugs to use.
Checkpoint inhibitors are a newer class of drug that blocks proteins that regulate the immune response.
By blocking these proteins, the body can fight cancer more effectively.
Approved checkpoint inhibitors include Opdivo (nivolumab) and Keytruda (pembrolizumab).
A group of drugs calledangiogenesis inhibitorsmay be tried.
Partly this is because they tend to be diagnosed at an earlier cancer stage.
Summary
Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma is a rare jot down of kidney cancer.
Many people are diagnosed before they have symptoms.
Diagnosis is made by imaging and biopsy of the tumor.
Treatment for early stages is the removal of all or part of the kidney.
For advanced stages, treatment may include drugs to inhibit the growth of the cancer.
However, the good news is that many people diagnosed with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma can be completely cured.
Get as much information as you’ve got the option to from your doctor about your options.
That will help you make the best health decisions for yourself and your family.
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