Kidney Cancer

Kidney cancer is cancer that originates in the kidneys. The kidneys are bean-shaped organs, each about the size of your fist, that are located behind your abdominal organs; one kidney sits on each side of your spine and they are protected by your lower rib cage. The tubes inside the kidneys filter and clean your blood, taking out waste products and making urine. Kidney cancer forms in the lining of tiny tubes inside your kidneys.

Kidney cancer is among the 10 most common cancers in both men and women. Overall, the lifetime risk for developing kidney cancer is about 1 in 63. This risk is higher in men than in women.

Kidney cancer becomes more likely as you age. The average age of people when they are diagnosed is 64. Kidney cancer is very uncommon in people younger than age 45.

Other risk factors for kidney cancer include smoking, having certain genetic conditions, and misusing pain medicines for a long time.

Treatment for kidney cancer depends on your age, your overall health, and how advanced the cancer is. Treatment might include combinations of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biologic therapy, or targeted therapies.

It is not clear exactly what causes kidney cancer. In general, cancer occurs when cells in your kidney develop errors (mutations) in their DNA. The errors make cells grow and divide out of control. The accumulating abnormal cells form a tumor in the kidney that can grow to invade nearby structures and spread to other parts of the body.

Factors that increase your risk of kidney cancer include:

• older age
• smoking
• obesity
• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• treatment for kidney failure such as long-term dialysis
• certain inherited syndromes such as von Hippel-Lindau disease, Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, tuberous sclerosis. and familial papillary renal cell carcinoma

See your doctor for blood in your urine, a lump in your side or abdomen, persistent back or side pain, or unexplained weight loss. Early evaluation improves treatment options.