Renal cell carcinoma (RCC), also referred to as renal or kidney cancer is the most prevalent kidney cancer found in adults. There are many risk factors that can increase the chance of developing renal cancer, but it is still unclear as to how some of these risk factors can be the cause of cancer in kidney cells. Let’s take a look at some of these risk factors that might be responsible for causing renal cancer:

1. Mutations or changes in genes
The changes that occur in the DNA inside our cells are basically how cancer is caused. The chemical in our cells that makes up our genes is known as DNA. The DNA that we inherit from both our parents affects more than just how we look. There are some genes that help control our cells when they grow, divide to become new cells, and then die. But there are certain cells called oncogenes that help cells grow, divide into new cells, and stay alive. Tumor suppressor genes are genes that help keep cell division under control or cause cells to die at the right time. Cancers can be caused by DNA mutations or changes that turn on oncogenes or turn off tumor suppressor genes, thereby resulting in cells growing out of control. Renal cancer can be caused when there are changes in many different genes.

2. Inherited gene mutations
Certain DNA changes are inherited and they can increase the risk of renal cancer. For instance, VHL — a tumor suppressor gene — is the gene that causes Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. This gene normally arrests and helps keep the cells from growing out of control. Changes or mutations in this gene can be inherited from parents, and it is no longer able to control the abnormal growth of the cells. In this case, renal cancer is more likely to develop as a result of the inherited, mutated gene.

3. Acquired gene mutations
Some gene mutations that happen during a person’s lifetime are not inherited from the parents. They basically affect only the cells that come from the original mutated cell. These DNA changes are due to the acquired mutations. In most cases of renal cancer, the cancer is caused due to the DNA mutations that occur during a person’s lifetime rather than having been inherited. Although the cause of these acquired gene mutations can be pinpointed to certain risk factors, like exposure to cancer-causing chemicals, it is not certain as to what causes most of them.

4. Smoking
Tobacco plays a vital role in increasing the chances of renal cancer. Progress has been made in understanding how tobacco increases the risk of developing renal cancer. The lungs absorb many of the cancer-causing chemicals present in tobacco smoke into the bloodstream. As the function of the kidney is to filter this blood, many of these chemicals become concentrated in the kidney, thus increasing the risk of developing renal cancer.

5. Weight and hormones
Another risk factor that causes renal cancer is obesity, as it alters the balance of some of the body’s hormones. Some other gene changes may also cause renal cell carcinomas.