what causes kidney cancer
Kidney cancer usually develops because kidney cells are damaged over time and start growing out of control, but in most people there is no single clear “cause” — instead, several risk factors raise the chances that cancer will form.
Key point: not one single cause
Doctors know many risk factors for kidney cancer, but often cannot say exactly why one specific person developed it. Most cancers are thought to come from gene changes (mutations) in kidney cells that build up during life, sometimes helped along by lifestyle, environment, or inherited gene problems.
Main lifestyle and health‑related causes/risk factors
These are the best‑proven factors that make kidney cancer more likely:
- Smoking: Cancer‑causing chemicals from tobacco enter the blood, get filtered by the kidneys, and can directly damage kidney cells. Smokers have about twice the risk of kidney cancer compared with people who never smoked.
- Being overweight or obese: Extra body fat alters hormone levels (such as insulin and certain growth factors), which can encourage abnormal cell growth in the kidneys.
- High blood pressure: Long‑standing high blood pressure is linked with a higher risk of kidney cancer, even after accounting for other factors, although the exact reason is still not fully understood.
- Long‑term dialysis for kidney failure: People who have been on dialysis for years have a higher chance of developing kidney cysts and later kidney cancer.
- Certain pain medicines and diuretics: Older phenacetin‑based painkillers (no longer widely used) and some diuretics (water tablets) have been linked to higher rates of kidney cancer.
Environmental and work‑related exposures
- Workplace chemicals: Long‑term exposure to substances such as cadmium, some metal degreasers, arsenic, and certain chemicals used in mining, welding, farming, and painting can increase risk.
- Other possible toxins: Inhaled or absorbed chemicals that are filtered by the kidneys may damage kidney cells over time, a process similar to how tobacco smoke affects the kidneys.
Inherited and genetic causes
A small proportion of kidney cancers are mainly due to inherited gene changes.
- Family history: Having a close relative (parent, brother, sister) with kidney cancer raises your own risk.
- Inherited gene syndromes: Certain rare conditions significantly increase kidney cancer risk, including:
- Von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) disease.
* Hereditary papillary renal cell carcinoma (linked to changes in the MET oncogene).
* Birt–Hogg–Dubé (FLCN gene changes).
* Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (FH gene).
* Some other tumor‑suppressor gene and metabolic gene syndromes.
- Other genetic conditions: Disorders such as tuberous sclerosis are also associated with higher kidney cancer risk.
In these syndromes, a person is born with a faulty copy of a gene in all their cells; over time, additional damage to that gene in kidney cells can trigger tumors.
Who is more likely to get kidney cancer?
Several factors influence overall risk:
- Age: Most kidney cancers occur in older adults.
- Sex: Men are more likely than women to develop kidney cancer.
- Kidney disease: Advanced chronic kidney disease by itself, even before dialysis, is linked with higher risk.
An example: an older man who smokes, has high blood pressure, and has been on dialysis for years would be in a much higher‑risk group than a young, non‑smoking person with normal blood pressure and healthy kidneys.
What this means for you
Although no one can completely prevent kidney cancer, you can lower your risk by:
- Not smoking or getting help to quit.
- Maintaining a healthy weight through diet and activity.
- Controlling blood pressure with lifestyle changes and medications if needed.
- Following safety rules if you work with industrial chemicals.
- Getting medical advice if you have long‑term kidney disease or a strong family history, as you may need genetic counseling or closer monitoring.
If you or someone close to you has worrying symptoms (such as blood in the urine, a persistent side or back lump, unexplained weight loss, or constant tiredness), it’s important to speak to a doctor or urologist promptly for proper tests and advice.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.