Veterans
Fast Facts About Veterans
- There are 16 million US veterans
- About one in nine, or 1.8 million veterans, have or will have cancer at some point in their life
- Veterans are 50% more likely to develop cancer compared to the general population
- Some exposures during service time may lead to twice as many deaths from kidney cancer
Kidney Cancer Risk Factors
Your service may have exposed you to some situations that increases your chance of developing illnesses like kidney cancer. These illnesses may appear years, or even decades after your service ends.
Location or Wars
If you served in the following locations or wars, you may have an exposure that increases your risk of kidney cancer:
- Vietnam
- Iraq
- Afganistan
- World War II
- Camp Lejeune
- MCAS New Rive
- Japan
- And more
Exposures
Specific exposures you may have experienced during your service that increase your risk of kidney cancer include:
- Water contamination
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- Asbestos
- Radiation
This may not be a complete list. Additional types of exposures continue to be studied to determine if they may increase the chance of developing kidney cancer.
Non-Service Related
Non-service-related risk factors that increase your chances of being diagnosed with kidney cancer include:
- Smoking
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- Family history of kidney cancer
- Certain genetic conditions
Predisposed Groups
These groups are also more likely to be diagnosed with kidney cancer regardless of service-related risks:
- Men
- African Americans
- American Indians and Alaska Natives
- Hispanic Americans
Understanding Service-Related Exposures
Water Contamination
Water can sometimes be contaminated (polluted) by industrial chemicals. Contaminated water can look, smell, and taste the same as clean water. If you ever drank or bathed in contaminated water, you are at higher risk of kidney cancer. Some places, like Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River (both in North Carolina), found that their water sources were contaminated for a long time. People who were stationed in these locations are twice as likely to die from kidney cancer.
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
PFAS are chemicals found in many different products, including military firefighting foams. Exposure can happen when eating food or drinking water that contains PFAS, or even by touching products containing PFAS. People with high amounts of PFAS in their blood are about twice as likely to get kidney cancer as people with low amounts in their blood.
Asbestos
Asbestos was a commonly used building material. It’s rarely used today, but still exists in older structures. If you worked near mining, milling, shipyards, construction, carpentry, or demolition, you may have been exposed to asbestos. This includes working directly with products like flooring, roofing, cement sheet, pipes, insulation, clutch facings and brake lining. Exposure to asbestos can increase your chance of getting kidney cancer by 20%.
Radiation
Radiation is harmful energy that comes from certain radioactive materials. These include nuclear weapons, nuclear power fuel, and more. Exposure to radiation, either in high doses over a short period of time or low doses over a long period time, has been shown to lead to kidney cancers.
There are also other exposures believed, but not yet proven, to lead to kidney cancers. These include Agent Orange, burn pits, and other specific hazards.
If you think you may have one of these exposures, please visit the VA website here for additional details about service locations and dates to find out if you were exposed.
Signs and Symptoms
No matter what increases your risk, most people diagnosed with kidney cancer have similar symptoms. These include:
- Blood in your urine
- Unexplained pain in your lower back or side
- A mass or lump in your lower back or side
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Unintentional weight loss
- Ongoing fevers without an infection
Each of these symptoms on their own does not mean you have kidney cancer. They may be a sign of other health issues. If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your healthcare team to see if you need further testing or treatments.
Take Action
The best actions to take are ones that can help prevent you from getting kidney cancer. Your service exposures cannot be undone.
But you can still take action to protect your health:
- If you smoke, quit. The VA has resources to help.
- If you have high blood pressure or chronic kidney disease, follow your doctor’s recommendations on how to manage it.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating well, engaging in physical activities, and reducing stress.
Stay engaged with your health care team:
- Help your doctor understand your risk for kidney cancer, especially if have had a service-related exposure.
- Continue, or start, to get regular physicals from your doctor.
- Watch out for signs and symptoms of kidney cancer, and tell your care team if you have any.
Consider enrolling in VA health care if you have not already. The VA provides medical benefits specific to your needs as a veteran. You can learn more about VA health care on their website.
If you receive health care at the VA, they offer free toxic exposure screenings. You can learn more about toxic exposure screenings, which were put in place by the PACT Act, on the VA website.
Survivorship
When talking about survivors, organizations like the KCA usually refer to people who personally have ever been diagnosed with kidney cancer. However, the VA also uses the term “survivor” to refer to surviving family members of Veterans who have passed away. Both types of survivors may be eligible for benefits under the PACT Act.
For patients who meet certain service criteria, the VA assumes that your military service caused your cancer. This means that you do not need to prove your condition was caused by your service to be eligible for medical and other additional benefits. Please visit the VA’s pages on exposure to hazardous chemicals and materials and PACT Act benefits to learn more.
Surviving family members should also visit those pages to learn about eligibility for pensions, receipt of unpaid benefits, and other information that could be of assistance.
Resources
Helpful resources for veterans include:
References:
Information on this page last reviewed: January, 2025
The Populations at Higher Risk content is made possible with the generous support of
Keep Learning:
The Kidney Cancer Association provides educational literature for anyone impacted by kidney cancer.