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Editor’s note: In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that dysfunction of the von Hippel–Lindau (
VHL) tumor suppressor gene on chromosome 3p plays a key role in the development of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The importance of this gene in RCC was originally identified in cases of familial VHL disease. However, it has since been demonstrated that in the majority of sporadic RCCs, there is loss of
VHL function related to allelic loss, sporadic mutation, or gene silencing. Importantly, the presence of
VHL mutation or methylation has been associated with improved prognosis in patients with stage I–III sporadic RCC. The current authors aimed to examine the association between identified loss of
VHL function and clinical and pathological variables, including patient outcomes.