The Association Between Kidney Stone Disease and the Incidence of Genitourinary Cancers

Kidney stone disease (nephrolithiasis) is a common urological condition with rising global prevalence over the past three decades.Data support a correlation between kidney stones and genitourinary malignancies, particularly renal cell carcinoma (RCC), bladder cancer, and prostate cancer.This study examines epidemiological and pathophysiological links between nephrolithiasis and these cancers, based on extensive cohort studies and molecular insights.Bladder cancer, one of the most common urinary tract malignancies, occurs more frequently in individuals with a history of kidney stones, with significantly elevated odds ratios reported.Prostate cancer, the most prevalent male malignancy, is also more common in stone formers, especially with concurrent urinary tract infections.For RCC, the relationship appears subtype-specific, with papillary RCC showing the strongest correlation.Shared risk factors-such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, poor diet, tobacco use, age, and sex-contribute to both nephrolithiasis and cancer development.Chronic inflammation and epithelial injury from recurrent stones may create a carcinogenic environment in the urinary tract.However, Mendelian randomization studies are not yet supportive of a direct causal relationship between genetics, suggesting that environmental and physiological processes are more central to the relationship.Finally, kidney stone disease may be a risk marker for genitourinary cancer.Identification of this association is essential for prevention and early detection in high-risk groups.