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Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleIntroduction Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of malignant adult kidney tumors, accounting for more than 90 % of all adult renal tumors. The incidence of renal cell carcinoma has been steadily rising in North America over the past decades [1]. About half of RCC patients are diagnosed with a localized tumor while 25 % of patients present with locally invasive tumors, and the remaining 25 % present with metastasis at the time of diagnosis, mainly to the bone and lung [2]. There are several histo-logical sub-types of renal cell carcinoma which differ in incidence, biological behaviour and the potential metasta-sis. Approximately 75 % of RCC patients have the clear cell renal cell carcinoma subtype (ccRCC) [3]. Over 90 % of cancer associated mortality in RCC is due to metastasis, which is a complex process starting wit