In 1990, a group of patients, including Eugene P. Schonfeld, Ph.D., and medical doctors in Chicago, Illinois founded the Kidney Cancer Association. The KCA is a charitable organization that unites patients, survivors, family members, and health professionals in an effort to eradicate the pain and suffering caused by kidney cancer. It funds research, educates members of the kidney cancer community, and serves as an advocate for patients at the state and federal levels.