Renal cell carcinoma in patients with a personal or family history of hematologic malignancies.

A little-appreciated association between renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and hematologic malignancies (HMs) has been reported for at least 20 years. The HM characteristically occurs first in patients with both neoplasms, and the large majority (94%) of these HMs are of B-cell origin. Furthermore, the majority of patients with RCC and an HM are male. Recently, we have noted an increased incidence of HMs in families of patients with RCC and are exploring this observation further. Here, we summarize our reports on the association between these neoplasms in individual patients and review the relevant literature.