Renal Diseases Associated with Malignancies

The kidney may be involved in patients with malignancy for a variety of reasons: the kidney is the site of a primary tumor or a secondary tumor; malignancies may have an indirect effect on kidney through electrolyte disorders; oncological therapy may have an adverse effect on renal function. Malignancies may be associated with a variety of renal complications. These include: acute kidney injury, chronic tubulointerstitial and vascular pathologies as well as paraneoplastic glomerulonephritis. The importance of the understanding this particular concern for the nephrologist, is not only because it can lead to delayed diagnosis of cancer but also because incorrect diagnosis may lead to harmful treatment. Lastly, an already existing occult cancer that is recognized too late may be wrongly attributed to the immunosuppressive therapy used to treat the original, presenting renal disease. Glomerular diseases associated with malignancy are often substantially improved by the cure of the proliferative disorder, which points to the importance of etiological investigations in patients with a glomerulopathy of unknown origin.