Renal insufficiency in breast cancer patients; a review study

Abstract

The latest statistics and estimations indicated that breast cancer occurs in one-fourth of women worldwide and is responsible for one in six cancer deaths among women. A bilateral relationship seems to exist between breast cancer pathophysiology and kidney failure. Consideration should be given to this relationship when selecting a treatment protocol. This paper reviews the association between these two factors in breast cancer patients. There are many aspects to consider in the association between breast cancer and renal insufficiency. A breast cancer patient with normal kidney function is at risk of developing kidney failure due to paraneoplastic syndromes, hypercalcemia, and in rare cases, tumor lysis syndrome (TLS). In defining the optimal treatment protocol for each breast cancer patient, clinicians should consider the patient’s basal glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Frequent renal clearance monitoring and taking immediate action at the time GFR begins to decrease will lower the rate of kidney failure in breast cancer patients. Lastly, patients with chronic kidney disease who are recently diagnosed with breast cancer may have higher morbidity and mortality compared to breast cancer patients with normal GFR. Further investigation is needed to lower morbidity and mortality in such patients.