Kidney Cancer

Kidney cancer is the sixth most common cancer for men and the ninth most common cancer for women. The incidences on the rise. It is generally believed that the incidence is increasing because we tend to get more imaging than we have in the past. When I was a medical student in the 1990s the mortality rate for kidney cancer was about 50%.

There was what was called the classic triad:
  • Blood in the urine
  • Flank mass
  • Flank pain

This is rarely seen today because kidney cancers are usually found when they are small and have not spread. Currently, the cure rate for local kidney cancer is almost 95%.

Risk factors include older age, family history, smoking, obesity, history of dialysis and some genetic abnormalities.

kidney cancer doctor Glendale AZ

Treatment

Many smaller tumors can be observed. Some of them can be treated with percutaneous cryoablation or robotic partial nephrectomy. Larger tumors need to be removed with the kidney and most of these can be done laparoscopically.