EPAS1 and renal cell carcinoma: Recently, it has been reported that several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of EPAS1 are associated with the development of osteoarthritis [16], retinopathy of prematurity [17], maximum metabolic performance in elite endurance athletes [18], physiologic adaptation in high altitude populations [19–22], and susceptibility towards renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and prostate cancer [23, 24].