It is usually not clear why a person gets cancer. While there are many risk factors to consider, not everyone with associated risk factors ends up developing cancer. Conversely, some people have no risk factors but experience cancer anyway.
When it comes to kidney cancer, certain medical conditions can elevate your risk when they occur simultaneously. These conditions, referred to as metabolic syndrome when they occur together, can also negatively affect your health in other ways.
Metabolic syndrome typically affects people who are inactive, overweight, or obese. Metabolic syndrome is also associated with insulin resistance, which is when the body has difficulty processing insulin on a cellular level.
A person may be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome if they exhibit three or more of the following traits:
You can still be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome if you are being treated for the above medical conditions.
According to an analysis of six separate research studies, metabolic syndrome was found to cause an increased risk of renal cell carcinoma, the most common form of kidney cancer. However, variations between the different studies means that the exact link is not completely understood. As a result, researchers call for more investigation into the link to determine the best approach for people with a heightened risk of kidney cancer.