Surgery to remove the kidney is called nephrectomy, which is the most common treatment for kidney cancer. As a tumor on a kidney grows, a person may notice blood in the urine or experience unintentional weight loss or back pain that doesn’t go away. If kidney cancer is detected and treated early, the chances for a full recovery are good.

Although the exact causes of kidney cancer have not been determined, certain risk factors exist that make a person more prone to the disease. These include smoking, Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, obesity, hemodialysis, a family history of kidney cancer, and certain occupations/workplace conditions. Please see ( Facts About Kidney Cancer for more information.)

Often, the first indication of kidney cancer is the presence of blood in the urine. Other symptoms include a lump or mass on the side of the abdomen and weight loss. (See Kidney Cancer Symptoms for more information.)

Metastatic kidney cancer is the most advanced form of kidney cancer. It occurs when the cancer has spread from the initial site in the kidney to other parts of the body, most often the lungs, liver and/or bones. Please see Facts About Kidney Cancer for more details.

In its early stages (see Kidney Cancer Stages), kidney cancer is usually treated by a surgical procedure called nephrectomy, or removal of the kidney. Once kidney cancer enters stages III and IV, surgery becomes more complicated and additional medical treatment, such as chemotherapy, hormonal therapy or immunotherapy, may be necessary. (Please see kidney cancer treatment for more information.)

Your most important information resource is your healthcare team. You can also contact support groups and services through the following organizations. These organizations will be able to direct you to services more specific to your individual needs: Please refer to Additional Resources and Links for a list of contact information for these and other organizations. Explore the possibilities.

The vast majority of kidney cancers are renal cell cancers. Most of the others are cancers of the renal pelvis. There are several types of renal cell cancers. Most are classed as 'clear cell' or 'conventional'. A smaller number fall into other types, which are called papillary, chromaphobe, collecting duct and unclassified renal cell cancers.

There are about 190,000 newcases of kidney cancer each year around the world, which means it accounts for about one in fifty cancers. In the UK and USA it about the tenth most common type of cancer.

Like most cancers, kidney cancer becomes more common as you get older. Two-thirds of all kidney cancers occur in people over the age of 60. Kidney cancer is also more common in men: 60% of cases and in men and only 40% in women. Obesity is a major risk factor, involved in one quarter of all cases of kidney cancer. Another major risk is smoking, which increases the risk of getting kidney cancer between two and three times.

Slightly over half of all people diagnosed with kidney cancer will die from the disease. The older the patient, the greater the risk, with only one third of patients over 70 surviving for more than five years after they are diagnosed. Over the last thirty years there has been a slow increase in the number of people dying from kidney cancer.

The main methods of diagnosis are by X-ray, CAT scan or ultrasound scan. These tests can show if there is a mass in the kidney. Usually, they would be followed by a biopsy: taking a small tissue sample from the mass, by inserting a thin needle. The tissue can be examined to determine if the mass is cancerous or not.

Kidney cancer is common in adults over the age of 40. It is important to note that men are twice more likely to get kidney cancer than women.

Symptoms of kidney cancer include: blood in the urine, fever, high blood pressure, pain in the side or lower back not associated with injury, persistent fatigue, rapid, unexplained weight loss, and swelling in the legs and ankles. A series of examinations can diagnose kidney cancer and these include: a thorough physical examination assessing the patient’s medical and health history, CT scan, MRI scan, ultrasound, urine and blood tests.

The treatment options for kidney cancer include: surgery to remove any cancerous tissue, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy and immunotherapy, all of which either remove or prevent cancer cell growth.

Public policy initiatives that improve access to routine and preventive healthcare can result in early detection of kidney cancer and impact the prognosis of an individual’s health. Since kidney cancer affects individuals who older than 40, it is important to ensure that newly-approved cancer therapies are covered by Medicare Part D, which results in timely access to life-saving therapies.

About 51,000 people in the United States are told they have kidney cancer each year. Men get kidney cancer more often than women. It is the seventh most common form of cancer in men. People who smoke have almost twice the risk of getting kidney cancer as nonsmokers. Here are some other risk factors. However, many people with kidney cancer have no known risk factors. On the other hand, people who have one or more of known risk factors may never get the disease.

Many people with cancer get a second opinion from another doctor before deciding on treatment. Here are some of the many reasons to get a second opinion.

Genetics is the study of genes, which are the "instructions" that make people what they are. Scientists are looking at several genes that may be related to the reason normal kidney cells change into cancerous cells. Their hope is to be able to put normal genes back into the cancerous kidney cells to reverse their change into cancer. This treatment is still very experimental. Biological therapy includes new drugs that are being tested in clinical trials.

Kidney stones that block or obstruct the flow of urine within the urinary tract may be responsible for infection or even deterioration of renal function.

A kidney stone is a hard mass that occurs when calcium oxalate or other chemicals in the urine form crystals that sticks together. These crystals may grow into stones anging in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball. Some one million Americans, the majority between the ages of 20 and 40, are treated each year for kidney stones. Kidney stones are more common in men, who account for almost four out of five cases.

Fortunately each kidney represents some 2-1/2 times more function than a person needs. Therefore, if one kidney is lost the remaining kidney is usually strong enough to do the job. Many people are born with only one kidney and live a normal life span.

The Kidney Cars Program is a year round fundraising program of the National Kidney Foundation of Western New York. People can make a charitable donation to the foundation in the form of a used car. Donated cars are towed FREE OF CHARGE from their location and then sold at dealer-only auctions or for parts. Kidney Cars are: used cars, trucks, boats, the occasional tank, we've even taken a private jet or two.