Kidney cancer
What are the kidneys?
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located on either side of the spine, just below the ribs.
They are part of the urinary system.
The kidneys filter the blood to remove waste and excess water, forming urine. They also regulate blood pressure and the body’s pH and salt levels.
What is kidney cancer?
Kidney cancer is a disease caused by the abnormal growth of cells in the kidney.
These cells grow uncontrollably, forming a tumour in the kidney that can spread to other parts of the body.
Most kidney cancer starts in the cells that line the small tubes inside the kidney. It is known as renal cell carcinoma.
Kidney cancer is more common in older people, but can occur at any age. The exact cause of kidney cancer isn’t known, but it is more common in people who are overweight, smoke, have high blood pressure, or have kidney disease.
What are the symptoms of kidney cancer?
Most early kidney cancer has no symptoms.
Advanced kidney cancer can cause blood in the urine. Kidney cancer which has spread elsewhere in the body can cause back pain and unexplained weight loss.
No symptoms
Blood in the urine
Back pain
Unexplained weight loss
How is kidney cancer diagnosed?
Kidney cancer is usually diagnosed by an ultrasound, CT scan or MRI scan of the kidneys.
Occassionally a biopsy of the kidney is used to confirm the diagnosis.
How is kidney cancer treated?
The most common treatment for early kidney cancer is surgery to remove the tumour from the kidney, known as a partial nephrectomy, or surgery to remove the whole kidney, known as a radical nephrectomy.
Small early kidney cancer can often be safely managed with surveillance.
Occassionally kidney cancer can be treated with ablation therapy, to destroy the tumour with radiation, heat, or freezing.
Kidney cancer which has spread to other parts of the body (advanced or metastatic) can sometimes be treated with immunotherapy.
Read more about the procedures we use to treat kidney cancer below.
Meet our team
Meet our team of experienced Urologists who diagnose and treat kidney cancer.
