RALEIGH -- March is National Kidney Month, a time to raise awareness of the most common type of kidney cancer, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which accounts for approximately 80 to 85% of cancerous kidney tumors.

Dr. Janice Dutcher, a medical oncologist, runs through how many Americans are affected by the disease each year.

"[There are] about 65,000 new cases in the United States annually, with about 14,000 deaths from kidney cancer annually."

She says kidney cancer has been associated with environmental toxins, certain occupations and cigarette smoke.