Kidney Cancer

What is kidney cancer?

The abnormal growth of malignant (cancer) cells from the kidney causes kidney cancer. The most common type of kidney cancer is renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Kidney cancer accounts for almost 3% of all new cancers diagnosed in Australia. This means over 4000 people will be diagnosed with kidney cancer in Australia this year alone.

What are the symptoms of kidney cancer?

Due to the location of the kidneys, kidney cancer can reach an exceptionally large size before it causes symptoms. Many kidney tumours are detected incidentally on scans performed for other reasons.

Kidney cancer can cause symptoms including:

• Blood in the urine (haematuria).
• Lump in the abdomen.
• Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite.
• Pain in the flank that doesn’t go away.

How is kidney cancer treated?

Kidney cancer is often diagnosed using a CT scan without the need for routine biopsies. The treatment of kidney cancer depends on the size and character of the tumour, as well as other clinical factors. 

Many kidney cancers are diagnosed when they are small and can grow very slowly. It is rare for small tumours (less than 4 cm) to spread. It is common for small tumours to be watched closely, particularly if you have other health conditions.

Surgery is the gold standard for most tumours. Larger cancers will require the whole kidney to be removed (radical nephrectomy). This can commonly be done using laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery. For smaller tumours, it is often possible to only remove cancer itself (partial nephrectomy), allowing the rest of the kidney to be preserved.

Sometimes, depending on the size and location of the tumour, your surgeon might recommend ablation. In this approach, a needle is passed into the tumour through the skin and the cancer cells are killed using heat. 

Unfortunately, kidney cancer can sometimes spread outside the kidney to other sites in the body. Many new systemic treatments are being studied to control the disease for long periods. If your cancer has spread, you will need to see a medical oncologist (cancer specialist) as well as a urologist.