Kidney cancer | |
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Micrograph showing the most common type of kidney cancer (clear cell renal cell carcinoma). H&E stain. | |
Classification and external resources | |
Specialty | Oncology, nephrology |
ICD-10 | C64.0 to C66.0 |
ICD-9-CM | 189 |
ICD-O | M8070/3 |
Patient UK | Kidney cancer |
MeSH | D007680 |
Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is a type of cancer that starts in the cells in the kidney.
The two most common types of kidney cancer are renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and transitional cell carcinoma (TCC, also known as urothelial cell carcinoma) of the renal pelvis. These names reflect the type of cell from which the cancer developed.
The different types of kidney cancer (such as RCC and UCC) develop in different ways, meaning that the diseases have different long term outcomes, and need to be staged and treated in different ways. RCC is responsible for approximately 80% of primary renal cancers, and UCC accounts the majority of the remainder.
Overall five year survival rate in the United States is 73%. For cancers that are confined to the kidney, the five year survival rate is 92%, if it has spread to the surrounding lymph nodes it is 65%, and if has metastasized it is 12%.
In addition to renal cell carcinoma and renal pelvis carcinoma, other, less common types of kidney cancer include:
Rarely, some other types of cancer and potentially cancerous tumors that more usually originate elsewhere can originate in the kidneys. These include:
Cancer in the kidney may also be secondary, the result of metastasis from a primary cancer elsewhere in the body.
The most common signs and symptoms of kidney cancer are a mass in the abdomen and/or blood in the urine (or hematuria). Other symptoms may include tiredness, loss of appetite, weight loss, a high temperature and heavy sweating, and persistent pain in the abdomen. However, many of these symptoms can be caused by other conditions, and there may also be no signs or symptoms in a person with kidney cancer, especially in the early stages of the disease.
Stage 1 kidney cancer
Stage 2 kidney cancer
Stage 3 kidney cancer
Stage 4 kidney cancer
For stage 4 kidney cancer, the the most common sites kidney cancer metastasis are the lungs, bones, liver, brain, and distant lymph nodes.
Factors that increase the risk of kidney cancer include smoking, which can double the risk of the disease; regular use of NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and naproxen, which may increase the risk by 51% or may not; obesity; faulty genes; a family history of kidney cancer; having kidney disease that needs dialysis; being infected with hepatitis C; and previous treatment for testicular cancer or cervical cancer.