Kidney cancer is a rare form of cancer accounts for 2 to 3% of all adult cancers. It is estimated that about 208.500 people are affected with kidney cancer in the world each year, with the highest rates in Northern America and the lowest rates in Asian and African regions. In the United States, about 49.096 people were diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2009; around 11.033 died of it.
However, the incidence of kidney cancer varies with age. From 2002-2006, the median age at diagnosis for cancer of the kidney and renal pelvis was 64 years of age; percentages and ages of people diagnosed were approximately:
- 1.3% were under age 20;
- 1.5% were between 20 and 34;
- 6.1% were between 35 and 44;
- 16.4% were between 45 and 54;
- 24.6% were between 55 and 64;
- 24.3% were between 65 and 74;
- 20.0% were between 75 and 84;
- 5.7% were 85+ years of age.