Kidney Cancer

Why is the impact of Kidney Cancer important to people in alberta?

Kidney cancer is the 9th most common cancer in Alberta.¹
About 540 adults were diagnosed in 2015.²

Kidney cancer is much more common in men than in women. In fact, about 2 out of 3 people who develop kidney cancer are men.¹
The risk of getting kidney cancer begins to rise at about age 30 for both men and women.¹
Rates for new kidney cancer cases in Alberta didn’t change much between 1996 and 2015.^1,2

What can I do?

Experts agree that together, we can prevent about 35 out of every 100 cases of kidney cancer in Alberta.² Here’s how:

Tobacco smoking is linked to about 17% of new cancer cases in Alberta.⁴ Tobacco has cancer-causing toxins (called carcinogens) that damage kidney cells. Over time, the damaged cells can turn into cancer. You can lower your risk for kidney cancer when you quit using tobacco or cut down.

Excess weight is linked to about 13% of new kidney cancer cases in Alberta.⁵ Not being active enough is linked to about 8% of new kidney cancer cases in Alberta.⁶ The World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) recommend adults stay at a healthy body weight³ and keep their body mass index (BMI) in the normal range. Use our BMI Tool to find the healthy weight range for you.