Differences in Tumor VHL Mutation and Hypoxia-inducible Factor 2? Expression Between African American and White Patients with Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (European Urology)

VHL inactivation is a hallmark of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) development, resulting in constitutive upregulation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-mediated expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and other oncogenic factors [1]. An investigation within The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) found evidence of racial differences in ccRCC tumor biology, with lower levels of VHL mutation and HIF expression in tumors from African American versus white patients (n=19 and 419, respectively) [2].