What We Know
about Kidney Cancer

Kidney cancer is actually several different types of cancers. By far the most common form found in adults is renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Kidney cancer found in children is known as Wilms' Tumor. Kidney cancer is almost twice more likely to occur in men than women and is most often diagnosed in people over the age of 45. The American Cancer Society predicts that there will be about 51,190 new cases of kidney cancer in the year 2007 in this country. About 12,890 people will die from this disease. These numbers include both adults and children.

Similar to all cancers, kidney cancer in the form of renal cell carcinoma generally begins as a small, single mass within the kidney. This malignant mass will grow over time and possibly spread to other organs through the bloodstream (called metastasizing) if it is not diagnosed in its early stages. In more unusual cases, kidney cancers patients discover that tumors are growing in both kidneys at the same time. Treatment options greatly depend on the grade and stage of the kidney cancer once it has been diagnosed. There are five main types of renal cell cancer: clear cell, papillary, chromophobe, collecting duct, and unclassified. Each of these types can be recognized by the way the cells look under a microscope. About 80% of renal cell cancer cases are of the clear cell type.

Reprinted with the permission of the American Cancer Society, Inc. from www.cancer.org. All rights reserved.

For more information about kidney cancer, how to diagnose it, and what treatment options are available please visit the American Cancer Society website. The information provided in this section has been used with the permission of the American Cancer Society. We are not medical professionals and this information is intended to be purely informative. Please consult your personal physician prior to making any conclusive treatment decisions.