Kidney cancer Research

According to the National Cancer Institute, the highest incidence of kidney cancer occurs in the United States, Canada, Northern Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The lowest incidence is in Thailand, China and the Philippines.

In the United States, kidney cancer accounts for approximately 3% of all adult cancers. According to the American Cancer Society, about 32,000 new cases are diagnosed and about 12,000 people die from the disease annually. Kidney cancer occurs most often in people between the ages of 50 and 70 and affects men almost twice more than women.

Smokers develop renal cell carcinoma about twice as likely than non-smokers develop cancer of the renal pelvis about 4 times more often. Not smoking is the most effective way to prevent kidney cancer and it is estimated that eliminating smoking would reduce the rate of renal pelvis cancer by half and the rate of renal cell carcinoma in a third.

Wilms tumor accounts for about 6% of childhood cancers and is the most common type of kidney cancer in children. The incidence of Wilms' tumor is higher in children under 5 years of age and in African Americans.
Kidneys

The kidneys are an essential part of the body's urinary system. Each kidney is composed of about one million microscopic "filtering packets" called glomeruli. The glomeruli remove uremic waste products from the blood. Each glomerulus connects to a long tube called a tubule. Urine produced by the glomerulus moves through the tubule. Together, the glomerulus and the tubule form a unit called a nephron. Each nephron connects to increasingly larger tubular branches, until a large collection area called the calyx. Calyces form the funnel-shaped portion of the upper ureter (renal pelvis). The urine travels from the renal pelvis to the ureters, the large pipes that connect the kidneys to the bladder.

The kidneys produce three important hormones: erythropoietin (EPO), which triggers the production of red blood cells in bone, renin, which regulates blood pressure, and vitamin D, which helps regulate the body's metabolism of calcium necessary for healthy bones