Genitourinary Oncology Program

Patient and Family Education

Kidney Cancer (Renal Cancer)

Risk Factors

The exact cause of kidney cancer is unknown. However, there are certain risk factors that are linked to it. These risk factors, according to the American Cancer Society, are as follows:

Smoking, which doubles the risk of kidney cancer
Exposure to asbestos, which studies show a link to kidney cancer
Cadmium exposure -- cadmium may increase the cancer-causing effect of smoking.
Family history of kidney cancer
Gender -- men are twice as likely to get renal cell cancer as are women
Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome -- a disease caused by a gene mutation
Tuberous sclerosis -- people who have this disease are more likely to get renal cell cancer
Diet -- a high-fat diet increases a person's risk of kidney cancer
Weight/obesity
Long-term dialysis -- patients who have been on dialysis for a long time may develop kidney cysts, one cause of renal cell cancer

This page was last updated on: October 6, 2009.