Chloroform deposition in renal cyst fluid of hemodialysis patients with renal cystic disorders.

Chronic exposure to chloroform (CHCl3) induces renal neoplasms in rodents and may be carcinogenic in humans, but studies on chronic CHCl3 deposition in the human body have not been performed. In this study, we examined 27 hemodialysis patients with renal cystic diseases including acquired cystic disease of the kidney (ACDK) accompanied by renal tumors at high frequency. Intracystic and serum CHCl3 concentrations were determined using a headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. CHCl3 was not detected in the serum in any cases, but levels ranging from <0.1 to 0.659 mg/L were found in the cyst fluid in most cases, including patients with ACDK and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Because intracystic CHCl3 deposition was not confined to ACDK cases, we were unable to evaluate the relationship between CHCl3 accumulation and carcinogenesis in ACDK. However, our results suggest that compounds such as CHCl3 accumulate in renal cyst fluid in hemodialysis patients with renal cystic diseases.