Kidney Cancer Diagnosis? Answers to 7 Important Questions

Most kidney cancer patients have pretty good odds of recovery – nearly eight in 10 survive at least five years after their kidney cancer diagnoses. But to join that good-odds club, you have to know the symptoms to proactively seek care.

The sooner kidney cancer is detected, the better your chances of survival. And more people are surviving because doctors are pinpointing more cases, likely due to continued enhancements in imaging tests such as CT scans and also to more patients seeking diagnoses. 

As a result, of the 81,000 kidney cancer patients doctors confirmed in 2025, more than 66,000 are expected to recover.

The challenge for improving survival rates is that early kidney cancer might not present any symptoms; not until the cancer advances. One of the most common signs of kidney cancer is blood in the urine (hematuria), which might lead you to believe you have a urinary tract infection or other benign ailment.

But any such change in your urinary system begs for a doctor’s prognosis. 

Questions to Ask Your Doctor After a Kidney Cancer Diagnosis

A kidney cancer diagnosis can be frightening, but knowledge might provide the sense of better control to put you in a proactive state of mind. 

If you’ve been diagnosed with kidney cancer, here’s a list of questions you should ask your doctor. We’ve also supplied general answers to set your expectations and encourage a more informed conversation. 

Question:  What is kidney cancer?

Answer: Your kidneys are fist-sized organs, located in your lower back on either side of the spine, that filter waste from your blood and make urine. Kidney cancer develops when the cells in the organs begin to divide and grow uncontrollably, forming an intrusive mass. These cancerous masses most often form a cancer called renal cell carcinoma, inside the kidney’s small tubules, or filters. Many factors might contribute to this abnormal cell behavior, including lifestyle habits and genetics. 

Question: What are the risk factors and symptoms of kidney cancer? 

Answer: Age is a significant risk factor of kidney cancer; most people are diagnosed between the ages 55 of and 74. Other unavoidable risk factors include a family history of the disease, gender – men are twice as likely as women to develop kidney cancer – and race, with African American, American Indian, and Alaska Native people more susceptible.

Controllable risk factors for kidney cancer include smoking, high blood pressure, excess body weight, and sustained exposure to certain chemicals. 

Symptoms other than hematuria include:

• Pain on your sides or flank
• A lump in your abdomen or lower back
• A diminished appetite
• Weight loss
• Fatigue from anemia
• Swelling in the legs and ankles

Question: What are the stages of kidney cancer?

Answer: Kidney cancer is classified in four stages, using a system called TNM, which stands for staging, nodes, and metastasis. Stages are generally defined as thus:

• Stage I – The tumor is less than 3 inches across (or 7 centimeters) and confined to the kidney.
• Stage II – The tumor is larger than 3 inches across, but still only in the kidney.
• Stage III – The tumor has expanded locally into a major vein (such as the renal vein) or surrounding kidney tissue. It might have spread to nearby lymph nodes, but not to other organs.
• Stage IV – The tumor has grown outside the kidney.

Question: What are the types and subtypes of kidney cancer?

Answer: Nearly nine in 10 kidney cancer patients have renal cell carcinoma (RCC), of which 70% are subtyped as “clear cell,” because the cells look pale or clear under a microscope. Other subtypes of RCC include papillary (finger-like) and chromophobe (darker-celled) renal cell carcinoma. Less common types of kidney cancer include transitional cell cancer, which develops where the tubes that carry urine meet the kidneys.

Question: What does the type, subtype and stage of my kidney cancer mean for my prognosis?

Answer: Variables such as genetics, race, and lifestyle can affect the prognosis, but on average patients with Stage I and II kidney cancer (localized) are given a 93% five-year relative survival rate, according to the American Cancer Society. Patients with Stage III kidney cancer (regional) have an average five-year survival rate of 73%. Of Stage IV patients (distant), 18% are expected to survive at least five years.

Question: What are the pros and cons of different treatments?

Answer: Surgical removal of part or all of the kidney remains the most common approach to treating kidney cancer. 

Pros include the procedure’s success rate, with 83% – 97% patients surviving at least five years. Also, if the surgery can be performed with minimally invasive techniques, such as robotics and laparoscopy, you’ll undergo a much smaller incision for faster recovery and less pain. 

Cons: Like all surgeries, partial or total kidney removal introduces risks such as infection, blood clots, and damage to surrounding tissue. If the total kidney is removed, your remaining kidney can become prone to disease.

Other treatments include:

• Percutaneous therapy – For small tumors, the surgeon removes the tissue cryogenically (freezing) or with radio waves (heat). This technique is minimally invasive, offers rapid recovery, and has high success rates. However, there is risk of damaging surrounding tissue and/or organs.
• Adaptive Radiation Therapy – In this outpatient treatment, the physician delivers high doses of radiation in a number of courses, typically four over two weeks. The enhanced accuracy of this technology reduces the risk of damaging nearby tissue, and treatments can be tailored based on real-time tumor changes. 
• Systemic therapy – This approach includes immunotherapy and targeted drugs designed to tell your immune system to attack the renal cancer cells. These drugs typically are recommended for cancer that has spread outside the kidney. Keep in mind though that such medications can present potential toxicities, which might make them a less appealing option for localized cancers that can be treated with surgery.

Question: How will these treatments alter my quality of life?

Answer: Living with kidney cancer, even after treatment, can be stressful for fear it will recur. However, you can still pursue your desired quality of life, depending on your overall health and willingness to practice beneficial lifestyle habits. Ask your doctor about a survivorship care plan. This plan can include practices to reduce chances of the cancer recurring, such as help quitting smoking, eating more whole foods, and getting exercise. Access our “Stop Smoking” handout here.

What to Expect After Treatment

Certain kidney cancer treatments can present long-term side effects, some of which might not show up until years later. You should discuss such effects, as well as other changes, with your doctor during scheduled follow-up appointments. Your doctor might order additional lab and imaging tests during these visits. 

Learn more about kidney cancer diagnosis and treatment options on our web site. To improve your kidney health, read our blog, “Eating for Kidney Health.”