Kidney Cancer: Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment (2024)

FAQs

Kidney Cancer: Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment? ›

For most kidney cancers, surgery is the initial treatment. The goal of surgery is to remove the cancer while preserving normal kidney function, when possible. Operations used to treat kidney cancer include: Removing the affected kidney (nephrectomy).

For most kidney cancers, surgery is the initial treatment. The goal of surgery is to remove the cancer while preserving normal kidney function, when possible. Operations used to treat kidney cancer include: Removing the affected kidney (nephrectomy).

Current treatment cures more than 50% of patients with stage I renal cell cancer, but patients with stage IV disease have very poor outcomes. All patients with newly diagnosed renal cell cancer are candidates for clinical trials, when possible.

About two-thirds of people are diagnosed when the cancer is located only in the kidney. For this group, the 5-year relative survival rate is 93%. If kidney cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year relative survival rate is 72%.

Kidney cancer can spread to one or more areas of the body. The most common places are the: lymph nodes. lungs.

Almost 90 out of 100 people (almost 90%) with stage 1 kidney cancer will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed. Around 75 out of 100 people (around 75%) with stage 2 kidney cancer will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed.

How fast kidney cancer spreads is widely variable. Some studies suggest an average growth rates of 0.3 centimeters (cm) per year, but findings vary widely. The grade of the cancer, the person's age and other factors can play a role . Kidney cancers are tumors that start growing inside the kidney.

Years or even decades may pass before they cause noticeable symptoms. During this time, the cancer may go undetected. Cancer may also go undetected because of factors such as an individual's overall health and medical conditions that may cause symptoms similar to cancer.

Avoid pretzels, chips, popcorn, cured and canned meat, fish and poultry. Don't add salt to your food and limit how often you eat food from restaurants. The kidneys filter salt from the blood. If there are high levels of salt in your food, the remaining kidney has to work harder.

The average age of people when they are diagnosed is 64 with most people being diagnosed between ages 65 and 74. Kidney cancer is very uncommon in people younger than age 45.

Has anyone ever beat stage 4 kidney cancer? ›

When Irfan was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer, doctors left him with little hope. But he persevered and sought out treatment with high dose IL-2. Eight years later, he's still free of disease. Read his amazing story about being a long-term stage 4 kidney cancer survivor.

Kidney cancer usually doesn't have signs or symptoms in its early stages. In time, signs and symptoms may develop, including: Blood in your urine, which may appear pink, red or cola colored. Pain in your back or side that doesn't go away.

Typically, stage 4 or metastatic cancers are classified as distant. According to the American Cancer Society, using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, the five-year relative survival rate for distant kidney or renal pelvic cancer patients is 15 percent.

The actual diagnosis of kidney cancer is made by looking at a sample of kidney cells in the lab or sometimes by how the kidney looks on an imaging test. If you think you have possible signs or symptoms of kidney cancer, see your doctor.

Who gets kidney cancer? Kidney cancer is more common among older people and occurs more often among men than women and among Whites than Blacks. The risk of getting kidney cancer increases with age, most often occurring in people over the age of 50. However, kidney cancer does occur among children.

Although kidney cancer invasion does not cause pain, people might feel some pressure or pain in their back if there's a blood clot blocking the urine from draining well from the kidney. This pain can be similar to when kidney stones block urine drainage from the kidney.

In 2021, the FDA approved belzutifan for adult patients with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease, a familial kidney cancer condition. VHL patients develop renal cell carcinoma, central nervous system hemangioblastomas, and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, and all of those types respond to the therapy.

On December 14, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration approved belzutifan (Welireg, Merck & Co., Inc.)

Because kidney cancer cells usually do not respond well to chemo, chemo is not a standard treatment for kidney cancer. Some chemo drugs, such as cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and gemcitabine have been shown to help a small number of patients.