Who Gets It?

Transcript

In the United States every year, approximately 75,000 patients are diagnosed with kidney cancer, and it’s responsible for almost 15,000 deaths per year. For kidney cancer, we’re talking about cancers that form in the outer thick, meaty portion of the kidney. A different type of kidney cancer forms in the actual urine chamber of the kidney, and that’s treated differently and considered separately.

Generally speaking, most patients with kidney cancer are older. The average age at diagnosis is 64. It’s uncommon, although not completely unheard of, under age 45. Since the 1990s, the numbers of kidney cancer cases has been slowly rising. Although the death rate has stayed approximately the same. Most doctors attribute this to the rapid rise in the use of CAT scans and ultrasounds for other reasons. And in fact, that’s one of the most common ways that a kidney cancer is diagnosed, simply by accident, when an imaging study is done for a completely different reason.

Key Takeaways

1. Approximately 75,000 patients are diagnosed with kidney cancer in the United States every year resulting in 15,000 deaths per year.

2. Generally speaking, most patients with kidney cancer are older – the average age at diagnosis is 64.

3. Since the 1990s, the numbers of kidney cancer cases has been slowly rising. Although the death rate has stayed approximately the same.

4. One of the most common ways that a kidney cancer is diagnosed is by accident, when an imaging study is done for a different reason.