About Kidney Cancer

Kidney cancer (also called renal cell carcinoma or renal adenocarcinoma) is a disease in which cancer cells are found in the lining of very small tubes in the kidney. There are two kidneys, one on each side of the backbone, above the waist.

Risk Factors

Common risk factors include:

  • Smoking 
  • Being overweight 
  • Having a family history of renal cell cancer (most kidney cancers are not passed on from a family member)
  • Having certain genetic conditions, such as von Hippel-Lindau disease

Symptoms

There may be no signs or symptoms in the early stages. These and other symptoms may be caused by renal cell cancer:

  • Blood in the urine 
  • A lump in the abdomen
  • Pain in the side that doesn't go away
  • Loss of appetite and weight loss

Types

There are three main types of kidney cancer:

  • Renal cell cancer is the most common type in adults 
  • Wilms tumors are the most common in children
  • Transitional cell carcinoma develops in the renal pelvis (the part of the kidney that collects urine and drains it to the ureters)