title: Characteristics of the coexistence of melanoma and renal cell carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with melanoma (MM) have an increased risk of kidney cancer, and there is an excess risk of MM among patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The objective of the current study was to analyze a series of 42 patients with both MM and RCC to identify clinical and pathologic features as well as risk factors of this association.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical and pathologic characteristics of 42 patients who developed both MM and RCC (the MM + RCC series) were compared with 2 published series in each cancer alone: a series of 293 patients with MM (MM series) and a series of 1527 patients with RCC (RCC series).
  
  
  RESULTS
  RCC was diagnosed concomitantly or after MM in 83% of patients in the MM + RCC series. Those patients displayed a high proportion of asymptomatic RCC at diagnosis (70%) and a higher frequency of stage I tumors (61%) than patients in the RCC series. Compared with the MM series, patients in the MM + RCC series more often were men, had a higher frequency of blond/red hair, had poor tanning ability, and had a higher number of nevi. In addition, patients in the MM + RCC series had a high aggregation of other malignancies (mainly skin cancers) and a significantly higher frequency of family history of MM (P = .005). Only 2 cyclin-dependent kinase 2A gene (CDKN2A) germline mutations were identified among patients in the MM + RCC series who also were members of MM-prone families.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high aggregation of cancers among patients in the MM + RCC series and the familial clustering of MM argued for a genetic predisposition that may be partly independent of CDKN2A.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Health and Medical Research, Paris, France. eve.maubec@bch.aphp.fr
authors.forename: Eve
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maubec
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chaudru
authors.forename: Hamida
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mohamdi
authors.forename: Florent
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grange
authors.forename: Jean-Jacques
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Patard
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dalle
authors.forename: Béatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Crickx
authors.forename: Brigitte Bressac-de
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Paillerets
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Demenais
authors.forename: Marie-Françoise
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Avril
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D051358:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D019942:Genes, p16; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C495900:CDK4 protein, human; D051358:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4