As with all cancers, the causes of adenocarcinoma and renal sarcomas lie in a series of genetic mutations that allow a group of cells to acquire new characteristics and begin to multiply indiscriminately, escaping the controls normally provided to allow tissue renewal and repair to occur according to well-defined timelines and criteria.
However, in the case of kidney cancer, the mechanisms at the origin of these mutations and the subsequent transformation in a neoplastic direction are not known.
Over the years, some factors that increase the risk of developing kidney cancer have been recognized: the main ones include:
- male gender membership (affected more than female according to a ratio of about 3:2);
- age over 50, smoking (which doubles the likelihood of developing kidney cancer compared to nonsmokers);
- obesity, exposure to specific substances with nephrotoxic action (contrast agents, asbestos, cadmium, leather tanning products, petroleum derivatives, etc.);
- air pollution;
- abuse of phenacetin (an old-generation antipyretic, now very little used);
- the presence of cystic kidney disease (acquired in dialysis patients) and some rare genetic-based familial syndromes (in particular, von Hippel-Lindau disease).
