March is Kidney Cancer Awareness Month

Join with the AACR to find better ways to prevent and treat kidney cancer

Kidney cancer is among the most common cancers in the United States, with approximately 81,800 new diagnoses and 14,890 deaths in 2023, according to federal estimates. 

Also known as renal cell cancer, kidney cancer is often treated with surgery to remove all or part of the affected organ. Some patients may be given chemotherapy or radiation therapy after surgery to destroy unseen cancer cells that may remain following the procedure. For a few patients, most commonly those with advanced disease, treatment may include a molecularly targeted therapeutic or an immunotherapeutic.

Smoking is a risk factor for kidney cancer, as is misuse of certain pain medicines, including over-the-counter drugs. In addition, certain genetic conditions, such as von Hippel-Lindau disease, increase a person’s risk of developing kidney cancer.

What the AACR is Doing in The Area of Kidney Cancer Research

In June 2023, the AACR will hold its inaugural AACR Special Conference on Advances in Kidney Cancer Research in Austin, Texas. This meeting will bring together experts from basic, clinical, and translational backgrounds to update the status of the field, discuss the most relevant discoveries and their applications, and envision the conceptual and technological trends in kidney cancer research. 

Since 2012, the AACR has partnered with Kure It Cancer Research to support innovative translational kidney cancer research. Read some of the highlights of progress made by researchers supported by the AACR-Kure It partnership.

One AACR-Kure It funded researcher, W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, discusses how such grant-funding partnerships provide critical support for cancer researchers.

for more information

Please see our page on Kidney Cancer (also called renal cell cancer), which includes detailed information on treatment.