What is kidney cancer?
The kidneys are two organs located in the middle to lower back of the abdominal wall, near the spine. They help filter the blood and play a role in controlling blood pressure.
Leftover products from the blood, such as water, salt and other waste products, are concentrated into urine. Urine is then transported from the kidneys to the bladder, where it is stored until eliminated from the body.
When abnormal cells start to form in the kidneys, these cells can become cancerous and can grow and replicate rapidly. This results in a mass (or tumor). Kidney cancer can originate in places like renal cells or transitional cells. Treatment will depend on the specific type of cancer. Nine out of 10 kidney cancers are renal cell carcinomas, which usually start in the lining of the tubules of the kidney.
Kidney cancer affects many people. About 64,000 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer in the United States every year. Men develop the disease more than women do, and most kidney cancer patients are diagnosed in their mid-60s. Kidney cancer occurs more often in Native Americans than in any other ethnic group in the United States.
Types of kidney cancer
Different types of cancer can originate in the kidneys.
There are a few types of kidney cancer including:
- Renal cell (renal cell adenocarcinoma) cancer – This type of kidney cancer forms in the lining of the tubules in kidneys. The tubules serve as filters for the waste that travels through the kidneys. Abnormal renal cells can develop in the lining of the tubules and then eventually develop into cancer over time. Renal cell cancer is the most common form of kidney cancer and makes up about 90% of all kidney cancers.
- Upper track urothelial cancer – Upper track urothelial cancer occurs when abnormal cells form in the renal pelvis and/or the ureter. The renal pelvis is in the middle of the kidney and it collects urine; the ureter is the tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder. The renal pelvis and ureters are both lined with transitional cells, which are cells that can alter their shape without breaking. When these transitional cells start to develop abnormally, cancer can result. This type of cancer occurs in less than 7% of all kidney cancer diagnoses.
- Hereditary kidney cancer – Hereditary kidney cancer is the term used for kidney cancer that occurs in families. This type of cancer is usually linked to a hereditary syndrome, which is a disorder that occurs when certain genetic mutations are passed down from parent to child. In this case, families that have certain hereditary syndromes are at an increased likelihood of developing kidney cancer. Some of those syndromes include: von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL), hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC), Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome (BHD) and hereditary papillary renal cancer (HPRC), among others. Hereditary kidney cancer is rare.
Kidney cancer care at The James
There is no routine kidney cancer. Every patient’s kidney cancer is different, including yours. Therefore, you want a multidisciplinary team of experts to help create a customized treatment approach with your individual cancer care needs.
Our unique Multidisciplinary Kidney Cancer Clinic offers all newly diagnosed patients an on-site, thorough evaluation and treatment-options review with experts from urologic radiation oncology, surgical oncology and medical oncology — all on the same day — so that together, the patient and the experts can decide on the best personalized treatment option.
And by offering access to the country’s most advanced clinical trials right here at the OSUCCC – James, patients know that additional options, when needed, are often available for their treatment and care.
If you’ve been diagnosed with kidney cancer, would like a second opinion or would like to speak with a kidney cancer specialist, please call The James Line at 800-293-5066 or 614-293-5066 to make an appointment.
Related Resources
Kidney Cancer Symptoms and Causes
Kidney Cancer Diagnosis and Staging
Kidney Cancer Treatment
Kidney Cancer Treatment Team