Kidney cancer

What is kidney cancer?

Kidney cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the kidney. The most common kind in adults is renal cell cancer. It starts in the lining of tiny tubes that clean the blood and make urine.

You have two kidneys, one on each side of the backbone, just above the waist. Urine flows from each kidney through a long tube to the bladder. Kidney cancer becomes more likely as people get older.

The National Cancer Institute lists smoking, long-term misuse of some pain medicines, extra body weight and high blood pressure as risk factors. A family history and some inherited conditions raise the risk too. Many people with a risk factor never get this cancer.

What are the signs of kidney cancer, and when should I see a doctor?

Early kidney cancer may cause no signs. Later, there may be blood in the urine, a lump in the belly, or pain in the side that does not go away. Losing weight for no known reason and loss of appetite can also happen.

The National Cancer Institute says to check with your doctor if you have any of these signs. Other health problems can cause them too, so a visit is how you find out. Low red blood cell counts, called anemia, can also be a sign.

Before the visit, write down your signs, when they started, and the questions you want answered. Bring a list of any allergies and all the medicines, vitamins and supplements you take.

How do doctors diagnose kidney cancer?

Doctors ask about your health and do a physical exam. They use pictures of the belly, such as ultrasound, CT or MRI, plus blood and urine tests. A thin needle may take a small piece of the tumor for a biopsy.

A pathologist looks at the biopsy cells under a microscope for signs of cancer. The National Cancer Institute says a biopsy may not be needed if the scans give enough information.

Once cancer is found, more tests show whether it has spread inside the kidney or to other parts of the body.

Which records show a kidney cancer diagnosis?

The pathology report from a biopsy or surgery gives the final diagnosis. CT, MRI or ultrasound reports show what the scans found. Urine and blood test results and your doctor’s notes fill in the rest.

A pathologist, a doctor trained to spot disease in cells and tissue, writes that report. It describes the tissue as seen by eye and under a microscope, then states the diagnosis.

Veterans who file a VA claim for a Camp Lejeune condition send VA medical records that show they have it. You can ask each hospital and clinic for copies of your own records and scan images.

What does research say about PFAS, TCE and kidney cancer?

ATSDR, part of CDC, found “sufficient evidence for causation” between the chemical TCE and kidney cancer. TCE was one of the chemicals in the water at Camp Lejeune. For PFAS, ATSDR says kidney cancer may be linked to exposure. A link is not proof that PFAS caused any one person’s cancer.

ATSDR based its finding on its Camp Lejeune studies plus studies of other people exposed to TCE at work or where they lived. It also says not everyone who is exposed will get sick. The National Cancer Institute states that “Prolonged or repeated exposure of trichloroethylene causes kidney cancer.”

ATSDR lists kidney cancer among health effects “potentially associated with PFAS exposure.” In an NCI study of 324 people with kidney cancer and 324 without it, risk rose as blood levels of the PFAS chemical PFOA went up. A later NCI study in a more diverse group found no link overall.

In the federal firefighting foam cases, the companies asked the judge in 2025 to keep out experts on cause in the first injury test cases, which included kidney cancer claims. After that trial was put off, the judge denied those requests without deciding them. In the foam case records we checked, we found no court ruling that PFAS causes kidney cancer.

In June 2026, three of the four Camp Lejeune judges ruled on what standard experts may use to judge cause. They said experts may use the law’s “at least as likely as not” standard. A fourth judge will decide this in her own cases. That order did not decide whether the water caused any illness.

Who brings kidney cancer claims in these cases?

Some people say PFAS from firefighting foam caused their kidney cancer. Others say the water at Camp Lejeune caused it. This page cannot tell you if you could bring a claim.

In the foam cases, the judge picked kidney cancer as one of four illnesses for the first injury test cases. That first group was limited to people who say foam chemicals got into their drinking water.

Firefighters have also sued over PFAS in turnout gear. Federal judges say thousands of gear injury cases that also involve foam sit with the foam cases. Gear cases that do not involve foam go to a separate court in Minnesota.

The Camp Lejeune court chose kidney cancer as one of five illnesses for its first set of cases. It said the choice was not a view on whether any claim is strong. A 2023 government guide for a faster way to resolve some Camp Lejeune claims also lists kidney cancer. DOJ now says it is not taking more papers for that process.

Each case page below has the latest news on that case.

Do any government programs list kidney cancer?

Yes, several federal benefit programs name kidney cancer. Each has its own rules and is separate from any lawsuit. Being on a list does not by itself mean a person qualifies.

VA treats kidney cancer as a presumptive condition for veterans who spent at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987. Family members who lived there may get help with care costs for it. The PACT Act list also names kidney cancer for some veterans who served in certain places on or after August 2, 1990. A lawyer or claims agent who helps with a VA claim must be accredited by VA. Help from an accredited veterans group is always free. Accredited lawyers and agents can generally charge only for help given after VA’s first decision on the claim. They also need a fee agreement signed by you and them. VA’s website has a search tool to find an accredited representative.

Outside VA, the World Trade Center Health Program lists “malignant neoplasm of the kidney.” It covers it only after it certifies that a member’s cancer is related to their 9/11 exposure. The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act lists renal cancer for uranium workers and for some people who lived near Manhattan Project waste. Its page says all claims must be filed by December 31, 2027. The Labor Department’s EEOICPA program lists primary or secondary renal cancers for covered workers at certain sites.

Can a family member get records for someone with kidney cancer?

You can ask your doctor to send copies of your records to a family member or caregiver. A family member can also get records if the law lets them act for you, such as through a health care power of attorney. A parent can usually act for a child who is a minor.

When the person has died, the executor or administrator of the estate can get the records tied to that job. So can another person whom state law allows to act for the person or the estate. Hospitals and doctors may choose to tell a relative who took part in the person’s care, or paid for it, what relates to that help. They will not do so if the person had said before death not to. State law decides who holds each role.

If someone died, the wrongful death case page explains in general how those claims work.