The greatest risk factors for RCC are lifestyle-related; smoking, obesity and hypertension (high blood pressure) have been estimated to account for up to 50% of cases.

Occupational exposure to some chemicals such as asbestos, cadmium, lead, chlorinated solvents, petrochemicals and PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon) has been examined by multiple studies with inconclusive results.

Another suspected risk factor is the long term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).

Finally, studies have found that women who have had a hysterectomy are at more than double the risk of developing RCC than those who have not. Moderate alcohol consumption, on the other hand, has been shown to have a protective effect. The reason for this remains unclear.

Hereditary factors have a minor impact on individual susceptibility with immediate relatives of people with RCC having a two to fourfold increased risk of developing the condition. Other genetically linked conditions also increase the risk of RCC, including hereditary papillary renal carcinoma, hereditary leiomyomatosis, Birt–Hogg–Dube syndrome, hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumor syndrome, familial papillary thyroid carcinoma, von Hippel–Lindau disease and sickle cell disease.

The most significant disease affecting risk however is not genetically linked – patients with acquired cystic disease of the kidney requiring dialysis are 30 times more likely than the general population to develop RCC.

Birt-Hogg-Dubé Syndrome patients, families, and caregivers are encouraged to join the NIH Rare Lung Diseases Consortium Contact Registry. This is a privacy protected site that provides up-to-date information for individuals interested in the latest scientific news, trials, and treatments related to rare lung diseases.

Small angiomyolipomas and those without dilated blood vessels (aneurysms) cause few problems, but angiomyolipomas have been known to grow as rapidly as 4 cm in one year. An angiomyolipoma larger than 5 cm and those containing an aneurysm pose a significant risk of rupture, which is a medical emergency as it is potentially life-threatening. One population study found the cumulative risk of haemorrhage to be 10% in males and 20% in females.

A second problem occurs when the renal angiomyolipomas take over so much kidney that the function is impaired leading to chronic kidney disease. This may be severe enough to require dialysis. A population survey of patients with TSC and normal intelligence found 1% were on dialysis.

Angiomyolipomas are the most common benign tumour of the kidney and are found either in patients with tuberous sclerosis or sporadically. About 80–90% of cases are sporadic and these are most commonly found in middle-aged women.

In patients with TSC, a longitudinal study found 80% will have some form of renal lesion by around 10 years of age. Of these, 75% are angiomyolipomas and 17% cysts. The angiomyolipomas increased in size in around 60% of these children. An autopsy study and TSC clinic survey found a prevalence of 67% and 85% respectively for patients with TSC. Both genders are affected equally.

The disorder has been reported in more than 100 families worldwide, though some sources cite up to 400 families, and it is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. It is considered to be under-diagnosed because of the variability in its expression. The pattern of mutations and spectrum of symptoms are heterogeneous between individuals. Less severe skin phenotypes are seen in women and people of both sexes who have a late onset of skin symptoms.

JCT often is described as benign, however one case of metastasis has been reported, so its malignant potential is uncertain. In most cases the tumor is encapsulated.

Kidney tumours may be discovered on medical imaging incidentally (i.e. an incidentaloma), or may be present in patients as an abdominal mass or kidney cyst, hematuria, abdominal pain, or manifest first in a paraneoplastic syndrome that seems unrelated to the kidney.

Renal medullary fibroma, also renomedullary interstitial cell tumour and medullary fibroma, is a benign kidney tumour. It is commonly an incidental finding.

Renal oncocytoma is considered benign, cured by nephrectomy. There are some familial cases in which these tumors are multicentric rather than solitary. However, they may be resected to exclude a malignant tumor, e.g. renal cell carcinoma.

Kidney tumours (or kidney tumors), also known as renal tumours, are tumours, or growths, on or in the kidney. These growths can be benign or malignant (kidney cancer).

Even though there is no evidence of malignant potential, transurethral resection is recommended together with long-term antibiotic prophylaxis for at least one year after resection. Prolonged antibiotic therapy is suggested due to the frequent finding of UTI as an associated or causative factor.

Renal oncocytoma is thought to arise from the intercalated cells of collecting ducts of the kidney. It represent 5% to 15% of surgically resected renal neoplasms. Ultrastructurally, the eosinophilic cells have numerous mitochondria.

By hypersecretion of renin, JCT causes hypertension, often severe and usually sustained but occasionally paroxysmal, and secondary hyperaldosteronism inducing hypokalemia, though the later can be mild despite high renin. Both of these conditions may be corrected by surgical removal of the tumor. Asymptomatic cases have been reported.

Nephrogenic adenoma, also mesonephric adenoma and nephrogenic metaplasia, is a benign growth typically found in the urinary bladder.

It is thought to result from displacement and implantation of renal tubular cells, as this entity in kidney transplant recipients has been shown to be kidney donor derived.

This entity should not be confused with the similar-sounding "metanephric adenoma".

Parathyroid cancer occurs in midlife at the same rate in men and women.

Conditions that appear to result in an increased risk of parathyroid cancer include multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1, autosomal dominant familial isolated hyperparathyroidism and hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumor syndrome (which also is hereditary). Parathyroid cancer has also been associated with external radiation exposure, but, most reports describe an association between radiation and the more common parathyroid adenoma.

Renal medullary fibromas are diagnosed by pathologists based on the examination of tissue.

They consist of bland spindle-shaped or stellate-shaped cells in a loose stroma. Renal tubules may be entrapped.

Metanephric adenoma (MA)is a rare, benign tumour of the kidney, that can have a microscopic appearance similar to a nephroblastoma (Wilms tumours), or a papillary renal cell carcinoma.

It should not be confused with the pathologically unrelated, yet similar sounding, "mesonephric adenoma".

A cystic nephroma, also known as multilocular cystic nephroma, mixed epithelial stromal tumour (MEST) and renal epithelial stromal tumour (REST), is a type of rare benign kidney tumour.

As metanephric adenomas are considered benign, they can be left in place, i.e. no treatment is needed.

Cystic nephromas are often asymptomatic. They are typically discovered on medical imaging incidentally (i.e. an incidentaloma).

Most patients experience moderate to severe hypercalcemia and high parathyroid hormone levels. A large mass in the neck is often seen, and renal and bone abnormalities are common.

A 2006 review stated that RS often leads renal cancer between ages 30-50. Renal cancer kills about 1 in 3 people, but 5-year survival rates improved between 1974-1976 and 1995-2000, from 52% to 64%.

This is a very rare tumor, since only about 1 in 35,000 to 40,000 people have VHL, of whom about 10% have endolymphatic sac tumors. Patients usually present in the 4th to 5th decades without an gender predilection. The tumor involves the endolymphatic sac, a portion of the intraosseous inner ear of the posterior petrous bone.

The majority of hepatic adenomas arise in women aged 20–40, most of whom use oral contraceptives. Other medications which also alter circulating hormone levels, such as anabolic or androgenic steroids, barbituates, clomifene, have also been implicated as risk factors.

Incidence of adenomas may be increased in metabolic diseases, including tyrosinemia and type 1 diabetes mellitus, and glycogen storage diseases (types 1 and 3), as well as in beta-thalassemia and hemochromatosis.