Renal Cell Cancer Treatment Information for Patients

General Information

What is renal cell cancer?

     Renal cell cancer (also called cancer of the kidney or renal adenocarcinoma) is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in certain tissues of the kidney. Renal cell cancer is one of the less common kinds of cancer. It occurs more often in men than in women.

     The kidneys are a "matched" pair of organs found on either side of the backbone. The kidneys of an adult are about 5 inches long and 3 inches wide and are shaped like a kidney bean. Inside each kidney are tiny tubules that filter and clean the blood, taking out waste products, and making urine. The urine made by the kidneys passes through a tube called a ureter into the bladder where it is held until it is passed from the body. Renal cell cancer is a cancer of the lining of the tubules in the kidney. If cancer is found in the part of the kidney that collects urine and drains it to the ureters (the renal pelvis), or is found in the ureters, refer to the PDQ patient information summary on transitional cell cancer of the renal pelvis and ureter.

     A doctor should be seen if one or more of the following symptoms appear: blood in the urine, a lump (mass) in the abdomen, or a pain in the side that doesn't go away. Tiredness, loss of appetite, weight loss without dieting, and anemia (too few red blood cells) may also be symptoms.

     If there are signs of cancer, a doctor will usually feel the abdomen for lumps. A doctor may order a special x-ray called an intravenous pyelogram (IVP). During this test, a dye containing iodine is injected into the bloodstream. This allows the doctor to see the kidney more clearly on the x-ray. The doctor may also do an ultrasound, which uses sound waves to find tumors, or a special x-ray called a CT scan to look for lumps in the kidney. A special scan called magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which uses magnetic waves to find tumors, may also be done.

     The chance of recovery (prognosis) and choice of treatment depend on the stage of the cancer (whether it is just in the kidney or has spread to other places in the body) and the patient's general state of health.

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