​​​​​​​​​​What can increase my risk of getting kidney cancer?

Experts aren’t sure what causes kidney cancer. But there are certain things that can make you more likely to get kidney cancer. These are called risk factors.​

If you have one or more of the risk factors listed below, it doesn’t mean that you will get kidney cancer for sure. It just means you are more likely to get kidney cancer than someone who doesn’t have any risk factors.

You are more likely to get kidney cancer than someone who doesn’t have any risk factors if you:

• smoke (people who smoke are 2 times as likely to get kidney cancer)
• have a high amount of body fat
• have high blood pressure or take blood pressure medicine (like diuretics, which make you urinate more often)
• are on dialysis or take medicine that weakens your immune system after a transplant (immunosuppressant medicine)
• have a father, mother, brother, or sister who has had kidney cancer (these are called first degree relatives. You are 2 times more likely to get kidney cancer if you have a first degree relative with kidney cancer.)
• work in a steel plant or are exposed to cadmium, asbestos, trichlorethylene, aniline dye, or heavy metals
• are over 45
• are male (males are 2 times more likely as females to get kidney cancer)
  
• have or had kidney cancer (This is because you may have inherited a damaged gene that may increase your risk of getting cancer in your second kidney. This happens in 3 out of 100 people with kidney cancer.)
• have thyroid cancer​
  

What can I do to lower my risk of getting kidney cancer?

To lower your risk of getting kidney cancer:

• stay at a healthy body weight
  
• try to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level (below 120/80) by eating a healthy diet and exercising
• quit smoking
  
• limit your exposure to environmental toxins

What are the symptoms of kidney cancer?

Learn about the symptoms of kidney cancer.

​​​​​​What tests are used to diagnose kidney cancer?

Learn about tests done to diagnose kidney cancer.

If I have kidney cancer, will I need surgery?

If you have kidney cancer that has not spread outside your kidney (localized disease), you will likely have surgery. Your doctor will tell you which surgery is best for you. Depending on the size and location of the tumour, surgery may be done by laparoscopy  or through a cut in your abdomen or the side of your body (open procedure). 

The types of surgery you may have include:

• Partial nephrectomy: A procedure to remove the part of the kidney where the tumour is located. With this procedure, some of your kidney stays and continues to work. Your doctor will tell you if you can have this type of surgery because it depends on how big the tumour is, where it is, and other factors.
• Radical nephrectomy: Surgery done to remove a kidney. A cut is made in your abdomen or side and your kidney, lymph nodes, and a small amount of healthy tissue around the tumour (the margin) are removed. Sometimes your adrenal gland is also removed.
• ​Cryotherapy: A cooled gas is injected into the tumour to kill the cancer. You may be offered this treatment if the tumour is small, depending on the location.
  

What if the kidney cancer has spread?

If the kidney cancer has spread, you may need other treatments, including:

• Targeted therapy: This means getting medicine which targets how cancer cells grow. The medicine is most often be given by mouth, but can also be injected into a vein. It kills the cancer cells or slows down their growth.
  
• Immunotherapy: Medicine that can boost the immune system so your body can fight the cancer.
  
• Radiation therapy: May be used to control symptoms with advanced kidney cancer. It isn’t used to treat kidney cancer unless the cancer has spread outside the kidney.​
  

What is my chance of survival?

About 2 out of 3 people diagnosed with kidney cancer live for over 5 years after they are diagnosed. The sooner cancer is detected, the better your chance of survival.

If kidney cancer is found early, 9 out of 10 people (90%) live over 5 years.​