Renal cancer statistics show a disease with substantial differences by sex, age, race and ethnicity, stage, and tumor type. In the United States, kidney and renal pelvis cancer is estimated to cause 80,450 new cases and 15,160 deaths in 2026. The figures below distinguish estimates from measured rates and identify the time period and geography for each statistic.
Contents
- U.S. cases and deaths
- Incidence by sex, race, ethnicity, and age
- Mortality patterns
- Stage and survival
- Lifetime risk and cancer types
- Risk factors and trends
- Global and historical context
U.S. cases and deaths
The National Cancer Institute’s SEER Cancer Stat Facts estimates 80,450 new cases of kidney and renal pelvis cancer in the United States in 2026, along with 15,160 deaths. Kidney and renal pelvis cancer represents 4.0% of all new U.S. cancer cases in that estimate. These are national estimates for 2026, not a count of already completed diagnoses or deaths.
The American Cancer Society’s 2025 estimate was 80,980 new U.S. kidney cancer cases and 14,510 U.S. deaths. The difference between these annual estimates reflects different reporting and estimation contexts; the figures should not be treated as a single time series. The American Cancer Society describes kidney cancer as accounting for about 3% to 5% of all cancers.
For comparison, StatPearls Renal Cancer reported 73,750 U.S. renal cancer cases and 14,830 deaths in 2020. That earlier estimate is a legacy figure and was not independently verified here. It remains useful only when its 2020 measurement year and U.S. geography are kept explicit.
Incidence by sex, race, ethnicity, and age
The age-adjusted U.S. incidence rate for kidney and renal pelvis cancer was 18.0 per 100,000 people during 2019–2023, according to SEER Cancer Stat Facts. In the separate 2018–2022 sex-specific figures, the incidence rate was 23.8 per 100,000 for males and 12.0 per 100,000 for females.
SEER’s race- and ethnicity-specific incidence rates show variation within both sex groups:
| Group | Male incidence | Female incidence |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native | 39.2 per 100,000 | 20.2 per 100,000 |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 25.9 per 100,000 | 13.2 per 100,000 |
| Hispanic | 24.6 per 100,000 | 14.4 per 100,000 |
| Non-Hispanic White | 24.6 per 100,000 | 11.9 per 100,000 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander | 12.1 per 100,000 | 5.7 per 100,000 |
These rates are reported by SEER Cancer Stat Facts for 2018–2022. They are population rates, not an individual person’s probability of developing cancer. The largest listed incidence rate was among non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native males at 39.2 per 100,000, while the lowest listed rate was among non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander females at 5.7 per 100,000.
The age distribution of new cases also has a clear concentration in later adulthood. SEER reports that people younger than 20 accounted for 0.9% of new cases, ages 20–34 for 1.7%, ages 35–44 for 5.9%, and ages 45–54 for 13.8%. Ages 55–64 accounted for 25.9%, ages 65–74 for 30.0%, ages 75–84 for 16.8%, and people older than 84 for 5.1%. The median age at diagnosis was 65.
Mortality patterns
The age-adjusted U.S. death rate for kidney and renal pelvis cancer was 3.4 per 100,000 during 2019–2023, according to SEER Cancer Stat Facts. The sex-specific death rates were 5.1 per 100,000 for males and 2.1 per 100,000 for females.
SEER reported the following death rates by race and ethnicity in the same sex-specific context:
- Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native males: 9.2 per 100,000; females: 4.0 per 100,000.
- Non-Hispanic White males: 5.3 per 100,000; females: 2.2 per 100,000.
- Non-Hispanic Black males: 4.9 per 100,000; females: 2.1 per 100,000.
- Hispanic males: 4.7 per 100,000; females: 2.1 per 100,000.
- Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander males: 2.4 per 100,000; females: 1.0 per 100,000.
The age pattern for deaths is older than the pattern for new diagnoses. People aged 65–74 accounted for 29.4% of kidney and renal pelvis cancer deaths, ages 75–84 for 27.2%, and people older than 84 for 16.7%. SEER reports a median age at death of 73.
The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts & Figures 2025 reports that kidney cancer mortality fell by 1.5% per year from 2013 through 2022. This trend describes the reported period and should not be read as a forecast for future mortality.
Stage and survival
Stage at diagnosis is strongly associated with five-year relative survival. SEER Cancer Stat Facts reports that localized disease made up 66% of cases and had a 93.6% five-year relative survival rate. Regional disease made up 17% of cases and had a 77.6% five-year relative survival rate. Distant disease made up 15% of cases and had a 20.3% five-year relative survival rate. Stage was unknown for 3% of cases, with a 55.2% five-year relative survival rate.
| SEER stage category | Share of cases | Five-year relative survival |
|---|---|---|
| Localized | 66% | 93.6% |
| Regional | 17% | 77.6% |
| Distant | 15% | 20.3% |
| Unknown | 3% | 55.2% |
The American Cancer Society reports a 79% five-year relative survival rate for cancer that develops in the kidney and a 52% rate for tumors in the renal pelvis. These figures use a different grouping from the SEER stage categories, so they are not interchangeable with localized, regional, or distant survival rates.
StatPearls Renal Cancer reports 93% overall five-year relative survival for early-stage disease and says early disease patients make up about two-thirds of renal cancer cases. That source is a legacy reference and was not independently verified here. StatPearls Renal Mass also states that renal cell cancer is rare under age 15 and is most commonly seen between ages 60 and 70.
Lifetime risk and cancer types
The American Cancer Society estimates lifetime kidney cancer risk at about 1 in 45 for men, equal to 2.2%, and about 1 in 75 for women, equal to 1.3%. It also states that kidney cancer is about twice as common in men as in women. The Cancer Facts & Figures 2025 material similarly says men are twice as likely as women to be diagnosed with kidney cancer.
Most kidney cancers are renal cell carcinomas. The American Cancer Society reports that cancer of the renal pelvis accounts for 5% of kidney cancers and Wilms tumor accounts for 1%. NCBI Bookshelf’s renal cell carcinoma review reports that clear cell renal cell carcinoma makes up about 85% to 90% of renal cell carcinoma.
The NCI Renal Cell Cancer Treatment PDQ reports that adenocarcinomas make up approximately 85% of renal cell cancers and that transitional cell carcinomas of the renal pelvis make up most of the remainder. The same source notes that metastases can occur with renal lesions as small as 0.5 cm. A lesion’s size alone therefore does not establish how a cancer will behave.
Risk factors and trends
The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts & Figures 2025 reports that cigarette smoking, excess body weight, and physical inactivity account for half of U.S. kidney cancer cases. It also identifies chronic high blood pressure, chronic renal failure, and occupational exposure to trichloroethylene as factors that increase kidney cancer risk. Rare hereditary conditions account for a small proportion of kidney cancers.
Smoking-specific estimates vary by source and population. StatPearls Renal Mass reports that smoking explains an estimated 30% of renal cell cancers in men and 24% in women. A PubMed abstract on epidemiologic aspects of renal cell carcinoma reports that cigarette smoking accounts for more than 20% of renal cell cancers and that obesity accounts for more than 30%. These percentages describe attributable contributions, not a direct prediction of an individual’s risk.
The American Cancer Society also reports that moderate alcohol consumption of up to about two drinks per day appears associated with reduced renal cell carcinoma risk. “Associated” does not mean that alcohol is recommended as prevention, and the supplied source does not provide a quantified reduction for this association.
More than half of renal cell carcinoma cases are found incidentally, according to StatPearls Renal Cancer. That legacy source also reports an approximately 2:1 male-to-female ratio and says incidence mortality has reduced by about 1% per year since 2008. Those statements were not independently verified here and should be interpreted with their original source context.
Global and historical context
StatPearls Renal Mass reports that almost 270,000 new renal cancer cases are diagnosed globally every year and that these global cases account for about 4% of all adult malignancies. A PubMed abstract on epidemiologic aspects of renal cell carcinoma reports that renal cell cancer accounts for 2% of all new cancer cases worldwide. The different percentages use different source definitions and denominators, so they should not be combined.
That PubMed abstract also describes high renal cell cancer incidence in North America and Europe. StatPearls Renal Mass likewise reports high incidence in North America and Europe and rarity under age 15. These statements provide broad geographic and age context rather than current country-by-country rates.
The available U.S. estimates show why measurement period matters. The American Cancer Society estimated 80,980 new kidney cancer cases and 14,510 deaths for 2025, while SEER estimated 80,450 new kidney and renal pelvis cancer cases and 15,160 deaths for 2026. Historical StatPearls figures for 2020 reported 73,750 renal cancer cases and 14,830 deaths. Each number should be read with its source, year, geography, and disease definition intact.