[Epidemiology of kidney cancers]

Renal carcinomas represent 2% of all tumors. More than 90% of these cancers occur in adults with the frequency in adult males being twice as high as that in adult females. The frequency of renal carcinomas is relatively high in France especially in males. Renal carcinomas mortality has been increasing in France over the last 40 years by more than 2% per year and suggests that tobacco is involved in this increase. Obesity, especially in women, and chronic renal failure are two other frequent associations found with renal carcinomas. The prognosis for this cancer is not clear-cut as the relative 5-year survival rate for all adult tumors ranges from 36 to 54%.