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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staff
Renal cell carcinoma risk factors
The majority of kidney cancers are renal cell carcinomas. Risk factors for renal cell carcinoma include:
- Age. Your risk of renal cell carcinoma increases as you age. Renal cell carcinoma occurs most commonly in people 60 and older.
- Sex. Men are more likely to develop renal cell carcinoma than women are.
- Smoking. Smokers have a greater risk of renal cell carcinoma than nonsmokers do. The risk increases the longer you smoke and decreases after you quit.
- Obesity. People who are obese have a higher risk of renal cell carcinoma than do people who are considered average weight.
- High blood pressure (hypertension). High blood pressure increases your risk of renal cell carcinoma, but it isn't clear why. Some research in animals has linked high blood pressure medications to an increased risk of kidney cancer, but studies in people have had conflicting results.
- Chemicals in your workplace. Workers who are exposed to certain chemicals on the job may have a higher risk of renal cell carcinoma. People who work with chemicals such as asbestos, cadmium and trichloroethylene may have an increased risk of kidney cancer.
- Treatment for kidney failure. People who receive long-term dialysis to treat chronic kidney failure have a greater risk of developing kidney cancer. People who have a kidney transplant and receive immunosuppressant drugs also are more likely to develop kidney cancer.
- Von Hippel-Lindau disease. People with this inherited disorder are likely to develop several kinds of tumors, including, in some cases, renal cell carcinoma.
- Hereditary papillary renal cell carcinoma. Having this inherited condition makes it more likely you'll develop one or more renal cell carcinomas.
Transitional cell carcinoma risk factors
Risk factors for transitional cell carcinoma include:
- Smoking. Smoking increases your risk of transitional cell carcinomas.
- Chemicals in your workplace. Working with certain chemicals may increase your risk of transitional cell carcinoma.
- A withdrawn medication. Phenacetin, which was removed from the market in the United States in the early 1980s, has been linked to kidney cancer. Phenacetin was used in prescription and over-the-counter pain relievers.
