Renal and upper urinary tract tumors: what the nephrologist should know

Urinary tract carcinomas are among the most common malignancies and are derived from neoplastic transformation of the urothelium. They can be located in the lower (bladder, urethra) or upper (pyelocaliceal cavities, ureter) urinary tract. Urothelial carcinomas are the fourth most common cancer type after prostate or breast cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer. Bladder cancer accounts for 90-95% of urothelial carcinomas and it is the most common malignancy of the urinary tract. Renal cancer also belongs to the urothelial carcinomas and is a relatively uncommon solid tumor, accounting for about 3% of all adult malignancies, although its incidence is on the rise. The most common histological subtype, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), is a clear cell carcinoma that makes up approximately 70-80% of all renal neoplasms and appears to be the only histological subtype that is partially responsive to immunotherapeutic approaches. The current review gives an overview of upper urinary tract tumors and renal cancer, in particular RCC, highlighting issues related to its molecular pathogenesis and the new immunotherapeutic approaches.