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Men's cancers · free patient guide
Kidney cancer
Renal cell carcinoma
Genitourinary oncology · Coming soon
What it is
The kidneys sit deep and can accommodate a growth without symptoms, which is why the classic triad of pain, blood in urine and a lump now describes advanced rather than typical disease.
Small kidney tumours found incidentally may be treated surgically, treated with an ablation technique, or watched, the choice depends on size, position, your kidney function and your other health.
Kidney cancer is increasingly found by accident, on a scan done for something else entirely. That has changed the disease: many are small, early and eminently treatable when found.
Warning signs worth acting on
- Blood in the urine
- A persistent ache in the side or back below the ribs
- An unexplained lump in the abdomen or side
- Unexplained fever, weight loss or persistent tiredness
- A kidney mass reported incidentally on any scan
How it is diagnosed
- CT or MRI with contrast, kidney cancer is often diagnosed on imaging characteristics
- Assessment of the function of the other kidney, which shapes the surgical decision
- Biopsy in selected cases
- Staging imaging of the chest
Profiling is used in advanced disease to inform targeted and immune-based options. Some hereditary kidney cancer syndromes are identified through genetic testing.
Is it inherited?
Several hereditary kidney cancer syndromes exist. Young age at diagnosis, tumours in both kidneys, or a family pattern should prompt genetic counselling.
Genetic counselling & family risk →
Prevention & early detection
Stopping smoking, and managing blood pressure and weight, reduce risk. Do not ignore an incidental kidney finding on a scan done for another reason.
Treatment options
What may form part of a plan
Which of these apply to you depends on your stage, your pathology, your other health and what you want from treatment. That decision belongs at a tumour board, not on a website.
Surgery
Operability assessment and planning here; the operation at the appropriate partner centre.
Targeted therapy
Medicines matched to a specific alteration found in your tumour.
Immunotherapy
Treatment that works on the immune system rather than directly on the tumour.
Conservative management & active surveillance
Sometimes the right decision is to watch carefully and treat nothing yet.
Radiotherapy
Targeted radiation to a defined area, planned in millimetres.
Clinical trials
Most Indian patients never learn a trial exists, because nobody is looking.
At KPCIRC
The pathway for this disease
- Joint assessment of tumour and remaining kidney function before any decision
- Active surveillance for small tumours where appropriate, with a written schedule
- Onco-nephrology input where kidney function is limited
- Long-term kidney function monitoring after surgery
Support that matters most here
Take this with you
Questions to ask your own doctor
These work wherever you are treated. Print the page or take a photograph of this list.
- Can part of the kidney be preserved rather than removing all of it?
- How well is my other kidney working?
- Is watching an option for a small tumour?
- Should I be tested for a hereditary cause?
This page is not an emergency service. Severe breathlessness, chest pain, uncontrolled bleeding, a high fever during chemotherapy, or a sudden change in alertness means going to your nearest emergency department now, not reading further.