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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Genetics

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

You have two kidneys. They are fist-sized organs on either side of your backbone above your waist. The tubes inside filter and clean your blood, taking out waste products and making urine. Kidney cancer forms in the lining of tiny tubes inside your kidneys.

Kidney cancer becomes more likely as you age. Risk factors include smoking, having certain genetic conditions, and misusing pain medicines for a long time.

You may have no symptoms at first. They may appear as the cancer grows. See your health care provider if you notice:

• Blood in your urine
• A lump in your abdomen
• Weight loss for no reason
• Pain in your side that does not go away
• Loss of appetite

Tests to diagnose kidney cancer include blood, urine, and imaging tests. You may also have a biopsy.

Treatment depends on your age, your overall health and how advanced the cancer is. It might include surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation, biologic, or targeted therapies. Biologic therapy boosts your body's own ability to fight cancer. Targeted therapy uses drugs or other substances that attack specific cancer cells with less harm to normal cells.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Start Here

• General Information about Renal Cell Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Kidney Cancer (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Kidney Cancer Basics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• What Is Kidney Cancer? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Can Kidney Cancer Be Found Early? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Kidney Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• PDL1 (Immunotherapy) Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Stages of Renal Cell Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Tests for Kidney Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Risk Factors for Kidney Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Ablation and Other Local Therapy for Kidney Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Drugs Approved for Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer (National Cancer Institute)
• Immunotherapy for Kidney Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Kidney removal (nephrectomy) - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Nephrectomy (Kidney Removal) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Targeted Therapy for Kidney Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Treatment Option Overview (Renal Cell Cancer) (National Cancer Institute)

Living With

• Living as a Kidney Cancer Survivor (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Questions to Ask about Kidney Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Hereditary Kidney Cancer Syndromes (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• What Causes Kidney Cancer? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• Advances in Kidney Cancer Research (National Cancer Institute)
• Cancer of the Kidney and Renal Pelvis (National Cancer Institute)
• Key Statistics About Kidney Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Liquid Biopsy Detects Brain Cancer and Early-Stage Kidney Cancer (National Cancer Institute)
• Targeted Therapy - Immunotherapy Combinations Effective for Advanced Kidney Cancer (National Cancer Institute)
• What's New in Kidney Cancer Research and Treatment? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Carcinoma, Renal Cell (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Kidney Neoplasms (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: A randomized trial of MONOFIX(®) vs. V-loc™ for resection bed suture...
• Article: French AFU Cancer Committee Guidelines - Update 2024-2026: Management of kidney cancer.
• Article: Real-world effectiveness of first- and second-line anti-angiogenesis therapy in RCC: analysis...
• Kidney Cancer -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Kidneys and Urinary Tract (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Your Kidneys and How They Work (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• American Cancer Society
• Choosing a Cancer Doctor (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• National Cancer Institute Also in Spanish
• Organizations that Offer Cancer Support Services (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Children

• Ultrasound: Renal (Kidneys, Ureters, Bladder) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
• Wilms' Tumor: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Kidney removal (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Kidney removal - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Renal cell carcinoma (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Renal pelvis or ureter cancer (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish