CONTENT: Incorporate at least two forms of multimedia on this page that represents the ecological/biological dimensions of your illness [e.g. charts, pictures, youtube videos, etc] and cite your sources. Make sure you refer to/explain them in your essay. Write a 400 word essay explaining how an anthropologist could study this disease using the ecological and biological approach. Incorporate the following: Describe at least one case study or professional anthropological journal article on the topic At least two references from this week's course materials An explanation of the biological, ecological and cultural interplay behind this illness Make sure you emphasize on the anthropological perspective Also include a bibliography in Chicago Style format
There are several controllable and non-controllable risk factors that play a role in people who suffer from renal cell carcinoma. Controllable risk factors include smoking, obesity, workplace exposure, environment, high blood pressure, and certain medicines. Uncontrollable risk factors include gender race, genetics, old age, and Von Hippel-Lindau Disease, which is a a disease inherited where patients are likely to develop several kinds of tumors, and in some cases kidney cancer. 

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Biologically, kidney cancer has 4 stages that are considered tiers, highest being most fatal, for kidney cancer. In Stage I, the tumor is 7 centimeters or smaller and is found only in the kidney. In Stage II, the tumor is larger than 7 centimeters but is still only found in the kidney.  In Stage III however, the tumor can be any size and cancer can be found in the kidney, in the main blood vessels or the layer of fatty tissue surrounding the kidney, or in 1 or more nearby lymph nodes. Stage IV is the most severe stage, where cancer has spread beyond the layer of fatty tissue around the kidney and may be found in the adrenal gland above the kidney, the lymph nodes, in the lungs, liver, bones or even brain. Obviously the most severe cases are the most detrimental. Because we have no universal or concrete reason for cancer besides several risk factors, one can only rely on consistencies.  In the graph shown to the left, the statistics compare the incidence of renal cell carcinoma amongst male and females not only in the US but all over the world. This shows that males are at a higher risk factor than females, and also shows that this is the case all over the world.  Depending on the severity, anthropologist can use these statistics to find patients who are in the earlier stages of renal cell carcinoma, and intervene before it metastasizes towards the rest of the vital organs. Patients who are told they have cancer can be traumatizing, and as explained in the movie “Not Just a Paycheck”, traumatic life events such as these can cause a person become demoralized and give up on fighting to live.  

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Ecologically, one important factor to consider is race.  Although it is consistent to show that males are more at risk than females, there are findings that indicate that black males are more likely to present this disease as compared to white males, and as compared with black females and white females. This graph also shows that the risk increases with age.  In some instances, communities with greater opportunity for adequate resources to treat renal cell carcinoma. Depending on the socioeconomic status, black or white communities could have more or less availability to these resources, allowing them to have a greater incidence of recovery.  Racism can also play a role in chronic stress, and as explained in the “in sickness and in wealth” video, decreases a persons health and increases their risk for opportunistic disease such as cancer . GFR, or glomular filtration rate, is the rate at which your kidneys filter toxins in your body. This specific test is set differently for african americans as it is for white americans, because they have different biological differences when it comes to the kidneys. 

SOURCES: National Cancer Institute. Renal Cancer Treatment. 2012. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/renalcell/Patient/page2

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kidney-cancer/DS00360/DSECTION=risk-factors

PubMed Health. A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. 2012 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001544/

Canter D, Kutikov A, Golovine K, et al. Are all multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors created equal? An in vitro study of sunitinib and pazopanib in renal cell carcinoma cell lines. Can J urol. 2011. 18(4): 5819-25.