Treatment:

Surgery to remove of all or part of the kidney (nephrectomy) is recommended. This may include removing the bladder, surrounding tissues, or lymph nodes. A cure is unlikely unless all of the cancer is removed with surgery.

Hormone treatments may reduce the growth of the tumor in some cases.

Chemotherapy is generally not effective for treating renal cell carcinoma. However, the drug interleukin-2 (IL-2) may help a small number of patient. It tells the body' s own immune system kill the cancer cells. It is very toxic.

Other chemotherapy drugs have been used, but patients generally do not live long once the disease has spread outside the kidney.

Newer medicines to treat kidney cancer include:

• Sorafenib (Nexavar)
• Sunitinib (Sutent)
• Temsirolimus (Torisel)
• Bevacizumab (Avastin)

Radiation therapy usually does not work for renal cell carcinoma so it is not often used.

Support Groups:

You can ease the stress of illness by joining a support group whose members share common experiences and problems.

See also:

• Cancer - support group
• Kidney disease - support group

Expectations (prognosis):

Sometimes both kidneys are involved. The cancer spreads easily, most often to the lungs and other organs. In about one-third of patients, the cancer has already spread (metastasized) at the time of diagnosis.

How well a patient does depends on how much the cancer has spread and how well treatment works. The survival rate is highest if the tumor is in the early stages and has not spread outside the kidney. If it has spread to the lymph nodes or to other organs, the survival rate is much lower.

Complications:

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Too much calcium in the blood
• High red blood cell count
• Liver problems
• Spread of the cancer

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider any time you see blood in the urine. Also call if you have any other symptoms of this disorder.