Racial Diversity Among Histology of Renal Cell Carcinoma at an Urban Medical Center

Background: Non-Hispanic blacks (NHB) with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are more likely to have papillary RCC (pRCC) than non-Hispanic whites (NHW). Data on histologic subtypes in RCC in Hispanics (H) are also sparse. Previous studies have shown that pRCC is more prevalent in NHB than in NHW, but they analyzed predominantly NHW populations. The Montefiore–Einstein Center for Cancer Care (MECC) serves a predominantly NHB and H population in the Bronx, NY. We investigated histologic subtype specific associations with established RCC risk factors in this population. Patients and Methods: The MECC tumor registry was used to identify patients ≥ 18 years of age treated with partial or radical nephrectomy between January 2000 and December 2015. An institutional software program and individual chart review were used to obtain demographic data (including self-reported race, age, and sex), pathology data, and RCC risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, renal function, weight). Data were modeled by multinomial logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A total of 1010 RCC cases were identified. Of these, 232 (23.0%) occurred in NHW, 383 (37.9%) NHB, 181 (17.9%) H, and 214 (21.2%) other. A total of 530 cases (52.5%) were clear cell (ccRCC) histology, 257 (25.4%) pRCC, 100 (9.9%) chromophobe (cRCC), and 123 (12.2%) other. Individuals with pRCC compared to ccRCC were more likely to be NHB than NHW (OR, 4.41; 95% CI, 2.81-6.93) but were less likely to be female (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.35-0.72). Individuals with pRCC were also less likely to be H than NHW (OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.27-0.99). Patients with cRCC were also more likely to be NHB than NHW (OR, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.06-4.67). Conclusion: In the MECC data set, histology of RCC varies by race, confirming earlier reports that non-ccRCC is more common in NHB than NHW. We also report that pRCC is less common in H than NHW.