The short answer
Smoking, excess body weight, high blood pressure, and certain genetic conditions raise the risk of kidney cancer. Having a risk factor does not mean kidney cancer is certain, and many people with kidney cancer have no known risk factors.
Smoking is a risk factor for kidney cancer.
Excess body weight and high blood pressure are both linked to higher risk.
Certain inherited conditions, such as von Hippel-Lindau disease, raise risk.
The National Cancer Institute lists misuse of some pain medicines, including over-the-counter ones, for a long time as a risk factor.
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The simple version
This page is for anyone who wants to know what raises the chance of kidney cancer. Kidney cancer, most often a type called renal cell cancer, has several known risk factors. A risk factor is something linked to a higher chance of developing a disease — it does not mean the disease will happen. Some risk factors can be changed. Others, like genetics, cannot.
Having one or more of these risk factors does not mean you will get kidney cancer. Many people with these risk factors never develop it, and some people with none of them do.
Factors linked to daily habits
Smoking tobacco. The National Cancer Institute lists smoking tobacco as a risk factor for kidney cancer.
Misusing some pain medicines for a long time. The National Cancer Institute lists misusing certain pain medicines, including over-the-counter ones, for a long time as a risk factor. Ask your care team before changing any medicine you take.
Excess body weight. The National Cancer Institute lists excess body weight as a risk factor.
High blood pressure. The National Cancer Institute lists high blood pressure as a risk factor.
Factors you cannot change
Age. The National Cancer Institute lists age as a risk factor.
Family history. The National Cancer Institute lists family history as a risk factor.
Genetic conditions. Certain inherited conditions raise risk. Von Hippel-Lindau disease is one example. Hereditary papillary renal cancer is another. If kidney cancer runs in your family, your care team may help you decide whether genetic counseling makes sense.
Having risk factors is not your fault
Kidney cancer, like other cancers, comes from a mix of factors that no one fully controls, including genetics and biology working together over many years. If you smoked, carried extra weight, or had high blood pressure, that does not mean you caused your cancer.
Why this matters for you
Knowing your risk factors can shape a few practical conversations. If you have a strong family history, ask about genetic counseling and whether testing could affect screening for you or your relatives. If you smoke, your care team can point you to resources to help you quit. If high blood pressure or weight are part of the picture, your care team can talk with you about them.
What to ask your team
- Does my personal or family history suggest genetic counseling could help?
- Should my close relatives know about my diagnosis, so they can think about their own risk?
- What, if anything, makes sense to change now, given my situation?
- What follow-up schedule fits my risk factors?
Sources
Common questions
Is smoking really linked to kidney cancer?
Yes. The National Cancer Institute lists smoking tobacco as a risk factor for kidney cancer. Your care team can help you find ways to quit.
Can pain medicine really raise kidney cancer risk?
The National Cancer Institute lists misusing certain pain medicines, including over-the-counter ones, for a long time as a risk factor. Ask your care team about any pain medicine you take regularly.
Did my weight or blood pressure cause my kidney cancer?
No single factor causes cancer on its own. Excess weight and high blood pressure are linked to higher risk, but kidney cancer results from a combination of factors, many of which are outside anyone's control.
What are the genetic risk factors?
The National Cancer Institute lists von Hippel-Lindau disease and hereditary papillary renal cancer as inherited conditions that raise risk. Family history is also listed as a risk factor.
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Last updated: 2026-10-16Next planned review: 2027-08-03
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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