Rates of renal cell cancer -- the most common form of kidney cancer -- are increasing in all populations, especially among African-Americans.
University of Illinois at Chicago researchers are conducting the first major effort to examine racial disparities in kidney cancer. The study, funded by the National Cancer Institute, will look at what causes renal cell cancer and what genetic and environmental factors may play a role in developing the disease.
It is unclear why renal cell cancer has been increasing by about 4 percent annually in African-Americans, compared to 2 percent in Caucasians since 1973.
An estimated 32,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with kidney cancer this year, and approximately 12,000 people will die of the disease. While kidney cancer is rare, it is frequently asymptomatic and often goes undiagnosed until it's too late.
Faith Davis, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the UIC School of Public Health, says a crucial component of the Kidney Cancer Study involves enrolling a significant number of people who have the disease, as well as healthy controls.
"We're working with 60 hospitals in the Chicago area to identify kidney cancer patients with the hope that patients will agree to participate in this very important research," said Davis, principal investigator of the study.
Kidney cancer has been associated with factors such as smoking, obesity, hypertension, and certain dietary and environmental exposures, but the specific causes of the disease have not been conclusively identified.
Dr. Wong-Ho Chow, epidemiologist and the NCI's principal investigator on the project, says so far there has not been one single study that has focused on the increasing incidence of kidney disease in African-Americans.
"We hope to gather enough data to find out what factors contribute to the increase in kidney cancer rates and focus on the gene-environment interaction in cancer risk in both Caucasians and African-Americans."
The population-based, case-control study will enroll 4,900 participants -- 2,100 with kidney cancer and 2,800 without the disease -- between 20 and 79 years old from Chicago and Detroit. All participants will be interviewed on lifestyle, diet and general health. Some participants may also provide saliva and blood samples for further analysis.
Study controls will be randomly selected from authorized populations lists. Kidney cancer patients will be selected through participating hospitals, physicians and the Illinois Department of Public Health cancer registry.
For more information about the UIC School of Public Health, visit http://www.uic.edu/sph/
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