Dr. Bakouny on Understanding the Biology of Translocation RCC

Ziad Bakouny, MD, MSc, internal medicine resident, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School,discusses understanding the biology of translocation renal cell carcinoma (tRCC).

It is important to understand the biology of tRCC for many reasons, Bakouny says. This disease is aggressive and the patients it affects typically have poor outcomes, Bakouny explains. Moreover, tRCC disproportionately affects young patients​, particularly young women; therefore, tRCC confers a significant disease burden for this patient population, Bakouny says.

Overall, if the biology of this disease does not become more widely understood, it will not be possible to target it with effective treatment, Bakouny continues. Currently, extrapolation from data in other disease subtypes, such as clear cell RCC, has not yielded optimal insight into treating patients with tRCC, Bakouny says. Therefore, research is needed to understand the biology of tRCC, target the disease, and improve outcomes for patients, Bakouny conclude.