Obesity, Hypertension, and the Risk of Kidney Cancer in Men

Kidney cancers account for 2 to 3 percent of new cases of cancer in the United States. In more than 80 percent of these cases, the cancer arises from the renal parenchyma and consists of adenocarcinoma (renal-cell carcinoma); most renal-pelvis cancers are transitional-cell carcinomas. In the United States, renal-cell carcinoma is among the most rapidly increasing of all types of tumors in incidence, particularly among black persons, whereas the rates of renal-pelvis cancer have declined during the past two decades. 1 Obesity increases the risk of renal-cell cancer, although this association has not been consistently observed in men. 2 , 3 Hypertension is . . .