Risk Factors for Kidney Cancer

The exact cause of kidney cancer may never be known. But healthcare professionals do know some of the risk factors that make cancer more likely.

What is a risk factor?

The three best-established risk factors for kidney cancer are all issues that you may be able to change. They include smoking, obesity, and high blood pressure.

Even if you have no known risk factors, you can develop cancer. Researchers are still investigating possible contributors.  

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Who is at risk for kidney cancer?

Risk factors for kidney cancer include:

• Age. Most people diagnosed with kidney cancers are between the ages 65 and 74. Kidney cancer is uncommon in people younger 45.
• Sex. Men are twice as likely as women to develop kidney cancer. One reason is that men are more likely to smoke and be exposed to cancer-causing chemicals while at work.
• Race. African Americans, American Indian, and Alaska natives have a slightly higher risk for kidney cancer.
• Smoking. The longer you have smoked, the greater your chance of kidney cancer.
• Obesity. People who are very overweight are more likely to get kidney cancer than those who have a healthy weight.
• Contact with chemicals. Contact with asbestos, cadmium, herbicides, benzene, and organic solvents increase your risk.
• High blood pressure. People with high blood pressure have a higher risk of kidney cancer. It is not known if the risk arises from the condition, the medicines used to treat it, or both.
• Advanced kidney disease. This puts you at a higher risk for kidney cancer. People getting dialysis are at an even higher risk.
• Certain inherited conditions. People who have von Hippel-Lindau (or VHL) disease have at higher risk for kidney cancer. Other conditions linked to kidney cancer include Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, hereditary papillary renal cell carcinoma, and hereditary leiomyomatosis.
• Family history of kidney cancer. People with a family history of kidney cancer have a higher chance of having the disease. This risk is highest in brothers and sisters of those with the cancer.

What are your risk factors?

Talk with your healthcare provider about your risk factors for kidney cancer. If you have a family history of kidney cancer or other disorders associated with the disease, you may want to consider genetic testing and kidney cancer screening.

If genetic tests show a risk for kidney cancer, your healthcare provider may advise you get screened often for kidney cancer. There are no standard guidelines for how often you should be screened if you are at increased risk. Your healthcare provider will advise a screening schedule based on your overall health and risk factors.

Tests to look for tumors in your kidneys include:

• Computed tomography (or CT) scan. This test uses a series of x-rays to create a picture of organs in your body.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (or MRI) scan. This test uses strong magnets and a computer to create images of the inside of your body. 
• Ultrasound. This test uses sound waves and a computer to create images of the inside of your body.

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