Renal cell carcinoma affects about 3 in 10,000 people, resulting in about 32,000 new cases in the US per year. Every year, about 12,000 people in the US die from renal cell carcinoma. It occurs is most common in people between 50 and 70 years of age, and typically affects men. The exact cause is unknown. Risk factors include: - Smoking
- Genetics
- Family history of the disease
- Dialysis treatment
- von Hippel-Lindau disease, a hereditary disease that affects the capillaries of the brain
The first symptom is usually blood in the urine. Sometimes both kidneys are involved. The cancer spreads easily, most often to the lungs and other organs. About one-third of patients have spreading (metastasis) at the time of diagnosis.
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