Objective To investigate the epidemiological situation of kidney cancer and unspecified urinary organs cancer (hereinafter referred to as "kidney cancer") in Jiangsu province in 2015 and its changing trend in 2006—2015, in order to provide scientific basis for developing related prevention and control measures.

Methods The data was collected from cancer registries of Jiangsu province in 2015, and a stratified analysis was performed for the incidence/mortality rates of kidney cancer by urban and rural areas, genders, age groups and for the cumulative rates of individuals aged (0-74) years. Numbers of cases and deaths were estimated with reference to the demographic data of whole province in 2015, and the average annual percentage changes of age-standardized incidence/mortality rates from 2006 to 2015 were calculated.

Results In 2015, 35 cancer registries in Jiangsu province covered 38 761 144 individuals, accounting for 50.87% of the population. It was estimated that there were 3 359 new cases of kidney cancer in Jiangsu province in 2015, with a crude incidence rate of 4.41/10⁵, an age-standardized incidence rate of 2.70/10⁵, and a cumulative incidence rate of 0.31% for individuals aged (0-74) years. It was estimated that 1 185 deaths occurred in 2015, with a crude mortality rate of 1.56/10⁵, an age-standardized mortality rate of 0.85/10⁵, and a cumulative mortality rate of 0.09% for individuals aged (0-74) years. The incidence and mortality rates of kidney cancer generally increased with age, and the rates in male and urban residents were higher than that in female and rural residents. From 2006 to 2015, the age-standardized incidence rate of kidney cancer tended to increase in urban, rural areas and both genders of Jiangsu province (t were 3.07-14.13, P < 0.05), and there was a significant increase in the age-standardized mortality rate of female residents in the rural area (t=2.63, P < 0.05), with an average annual increase rate of 4.62%. Among the factors leading to the increase in the incidence and mortality rates of kidney cancer, non-demographic factors accounted for 67.8% and 69.7%, respectively.

Conclusion The incidence and mortality rates of kidney cancer in Jiangsu province is lower than the national average level, but the incidence rate tends to increase year by year, which cannot be ignored. It is important to pay more attention to the mortality of female residents in the rural area.