Renal cell carcinoma is a heterogenous cancer composed of an increasing number of unique subtypes each with their own cellular and tumor behavior. The study of hereditary renal cell carcinoma, which composes just 5% of all types of tumor cases, has allowed for the elucidation of subtype-specific tumorigenesis mechanisms that can also be applied to their sporadic counterparts. This review will focus on the major forms of hereditary renal cell carcinoma and the genetic alterations contributing to their tumorigenesis, including von Hippel Lindau syndrome, Hereditary Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma, Succinate Dehydrogenase-Deficient Renal Cell Carcinoma, Hereditary Leiomyomatosis and Renal Cell Carcinoma, BRCA Associated Protein 1 Tumor Predisposition Syndrome, Tuberous Sclerosis, Birt-Hogg-Dubé Syndrome and Translocation RCC. The mechanisms for tumorigenesis described in this review are beginning to be exploited via the utilization of novel targets to treat renal cell carcinoma in a subtype-specific fashion.
Keywords: cell biology of renal cell carcinoma; genetics of renal cell carcinoma; hereditary renal cell carcinoma; mechanisms of disease.