Kidney Cancer

Kidney, or renal cell, cancer begins in the lining of the very small tubes known as tubules in the kidney. This form of cancer is also called renal adenocarcinoma. Cancer that starts in the ureters or the renal pelvis, the part of the kidney that collects urine and drains it to the ureters, is different from renal cell cancer.

Smoking and misuse of certain pain medicines, including over-the-counter pain medicines, can affect the risk of renal cell cancer. In addition, certain genetic conditions such as von Hippel-Lindau disease or hereditary papillary renal cell carcinoma increase the risk of kidney cancer.

A projected 73,750 new cases of renal cell cancer and some 14,830 deaths are expected in the United States in 2020, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Renal Cell Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)

Source: National Cancer Institute