Renal Cell Cancer Treatment Information for Patients

Treatment by stage

Treatment of renal cell cancer depends on the type and stage of the disease, and the patient's age and general health.

Standard treatment may be considered because of its effectiveness in patients in past studies, or participation in a clinical trial may be considered. Not all patients are cured with standard therapy and some standard treatments may have more side effects than are desired. For these reasons, clinical trials are designed to find better ways to treat cancer patients and are based on the most up-to-date information. Clinical trials are ongoing in most parts of the country for most stages of renal cell cancer. To learn more about clinical trials, call the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237); TTY at 1-800-332-8615.

Stage I Renal Cell Cancer

Treatment may be one of the following:

1. Surgery to remove the kidney and the tissues around it (radical nephrectomy). Lymph nodes in the area may also be removed.
2. Surgery to remove only the kidney (simple nephrectomy).
3. Surgery to remove the part of the kidney where the cancer is found (partial nephrectomy).
4. External beam radiation therapy to relieve symptoms in patients who cannot have surgery.
5. Injection of small pieces of a special gelatin sponge into the main artery that flows to the kidney to block blood flow to the cancer cells (arterial embolization). This is usually done only in patients who cannot have surgery.
6. Clinical trials.

Stage II Renal Cell Cancer

Treatment may be one of the following:

1. Surgery to remove the kidney and the tissues around it (radical nephrectomy). Lymph nodes in the area may also be removed.
2. External beam radiation therapy before or after radical nephrectomy.
3. Surgery to remove the part of the kidney where the cancer is found (partial nephrectomy).
4. External beam radiation therapy to relieve symptoms in patients who cannot have surgery.
5. Injection of small pieces of a special gelatin sponge into the main artery that flows to the kidney to block blood flow to the cancer cells (arterial embolization). This is usually done only in patients who cannot have surgery.
6. Clinical trials.

Stage III Renal Cell Cancer

Treatment may be one of the following:

1. Surgery to remove the kidney and the tissues around it (radical nephrectomy). Lymph nodes in the area may also be removed. If the cancer has spread to the main blood vessels that carry blood to and from the kidney (the renal vein or vena cava), part of the blood vessel may also be removed.
2. Injection of small pieces of a special gelatin sponge into the main artery that flows to the kidney to block blood flow to the cancer cells (arterial embolization) followed by radical nephrectomy.
3. External beam radiation therapy to relieve symptoms.
4. Arterial embolization to relieve symptoms.
5. Surgery to remove the kidney (simple or radical nephrectomy) to relieve symptoms.
6. External beam radiation therapy before or after radical nephrectomy.
7. Clinical trials of biological therapy in addition to other therapy.

Stage IV Renal Cell Cancer

Treatment may be one of the following:

1. Biological therapy.
2. External radiation therapy to relieve symptoms.
3. Surgery to remove the kidney (nephrectomy) to relieve symptoms.
4. If cancer has spread only to the area around the kidney, surgery to remove the kidney and the tissue around it (radical nephrectomy). If the cancer has spread to a limited area, surgery to remove the cancer where it has spread (metastasized) in addition to radical nephrectomy.
5. Clinical trials.

Recurrent Renal Cell Cancer

Treatment may be one of the following:

1. Biological therapy.
2. External radiation therapy to relieve symptoms.
3. Chemotherapy.

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