Kidney Cancer Survival Rate

What is Kidney Cancer?

Kidney cancer is defined as any cancer that begins in the cells of the kidneys. However, its spread to the outside organs is a greater cause for concern. The ICD 10 code for kidney cancer is C64.9, and renal cell carcinoma is the most common [¹].

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located behind the organs in the abdomen, on either side of the spine. They aren't bigger than your fist but perform many important functions.

A malignant neoplasm in the kidney is usually diagnosed through the staging procedure. Once you have been diagnosed with kidney cancer, your doctor will attempt to stage the neoplasm and determine treatment according to the specific stage and spread.

The survival rate of kidney cancer usually refers to the 5-year survival rate, which lets a patient know what percentage of people lived for at least five years post-diagnosis. Understanding the survival rate by stage can help you find out more about your specific diagnosis. However, each person's case is unique, so these rates cannot accurately depict your long-term survival outlook.

Types of Kidney Cancer

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) might be the most important type of kidney cancer, but there are other types and sub-types for classification. RCC accounts for around 85% of kidney neoplasms [²].

For RCC, cancerous cells first develop in the lining of kidney tubules, growing into tumors that may spread over time. There may also be multiple tumors in both kidneys. The following types are the most common;

Clear Cell: Clear cell kidney cancer is identified through the clear and pale appearance of cancer cells under a microscope.
Papillary: Often having further sub-types, papillary tumors exist in about 10 to 15 percent of RCC cases. They are identified through the finger-like projections they form.
Clear Cell Papillary: A combination of the two listed above.
Chromophobe: These can be identified through larger cells.
Medullary: A rarer and more aggressive form of kidney cancer commonly occurring in young African Americans.
Unclassified: This is the category of RCC that is unidentifiable.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Kidney Cancer?

Kidney cancer is a type of neoplasm that may not show signs in the earlier stages. However, as the disease progresses, the signs listed below become more noticeable [³];

Bloody urine
Lump or pain in the lower back
Persistent fever without signs of infection
Anemia
Fatigue
Loss of appetite
Weight loss

The signs listed above are usually caused by benign diseases. Any observations must be discussed with a doctor to avoid unnecessary worry.

Kidney Cancer Diagnosis and Staging

The diagnosis and staging of kidney cancer can help people understand more about the disease. As is true for all neoplasms, diagnosis is presented in the form of stages. The final stages of kidney cancer thus progress into carcinomatosis.

How is Kidney Cancer Diagnosed?

A doctor might recommend multiple tests and procedures before you are provided the diagnosis. These include [⁴];

Blood and urine tests: Testing your blood and urine can help the doctor understand the cause of your symptoms.
Imaging: You may be asked to come in for an ultrasound or more complicated tests such as X-rays, CT, and MRI scans.
Biopsy: A doctor may also ask you to provide a sample of cells within the kidney. These are extracted during a biopsy.

Kidney Cancer Staging

A medical professional evaluates all tests and procedures before reaching a final diagnosis. Once you have received a kidney cancer diagnosis, the next step toward treatment is to identify the cancer stage.

Depending on your case, your doctor may ask you to get additional imaging tests and blood tests. This leads to one of the following stages [⁵];

Stage 1: This is whereby the tumor measures a maximum of 7 cm across and is confined to the region of the kidney. It hasn't yet spread to nearby lymph nodes or organs.
Stage 2: At this stage, the tumor is larger than 7 cm across but still hasn't spread to nearby lymph nodes or organs.
Stage 3: Here, the tumor is larger and has spread outside the kidney but not beyond Gerota's fascia. Nearby lymph nodes may also be affected.
Stage 4: The tumor has spread outside the Gerota's fascia, into the adrenal gland above the kidney, and also the distant lymph nodes and organs in some cases.

Remember that every case is unique and multiple sub-stages might exist.

Is Kidney Cancer Hereditary?

People with a family history of kidney cancer are more likely to develop it at some stage. In cases with siblings affected by RCC, this risk increases substantially. However, research on kidney cancer is conflicted between genes and environmental impact [⁶].

Kidney Cancer Survival Rate

The prognosis for kidney cancer usually considers two separate metrics: survival rate and quality of life (QOL). Doctors and researchers typically define survival rate in terms of the five-year survival rate, which indicates the percentage of patients who are alive five years after their diagnosis.

The survival rate for kidney cancer is highly dependent on the stage of the disease, including tumor size and extent of metastasis, as well as on the patient's underlying health status. Kidney cancer cancers caught at earlier stages (stage 0/in situ, stage 1) have a better outlook.

If cancer has metastasized, treatment is more difficult, but in any case, it is important to maintain hope. It is important to understand that survival statistics represent averages - they should not be taken as prescriptive determinations of your future outcome.

What is the Survival Rate for Kidney Cancer?

A diagnosis of kidney cancer doesn't come without hope. Once you have spoken to your doctor and gone through the staging process, treatment plans can be discussed. Treatment and prognosis may differ depending on the size of the tumor, its nature, and its spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body (carcinomatosis).

Most long-term survival rate statistics discuss something called the 5-year survival rate. This number reveals the percentage of people who survived cancer up to 5 years after their diagnosis.

The mean survival rate for someone diagnosed with kidney cancer is 75%. However, the survival probability increases to 93% if your cancer is more localized. Other factors, such as your cancer type, stage, and health, may also play a role [⁷].

Survival Rate of Kidney Cancer According to Staging

The prognosis is far more positive for people with more localized kidney cancer. Localized cancers are confined to the kidney and are smaller in size. However, cancer spreading to other organs might require aggressive treatment [⁸].

Survival Rate of Kidney Cancer According to Further Classification

Many other factors can differentiate one kind of kidney cancer from another. For example, the grade of tumors, along with the type of kidney cancer, can also change the prognosis. Low-grade tumors spread less aggressively. Moreover, some kinds of RCC have better outcomes [⁸].

Survival Rate of Kidney Cancer According to Biology

Factors including smoking, age, medical history, and current health condition can also impact the prognosis [⁸]. The better the patient's health conditions, the more positive the prognosis.

Survival Rate of Kidney Cancer According to Risk

Factors such as your performance (how active you are and how much you can endure during treatment) and early-stage diagnosis can also help. Moreover, tests involving your blood calcium, red blood cell count, platelet, and neutrophil count can help doctors reach a more accurate prognosis [⁹].

Survival Rate of Kidney Cancer in Women vs. Survival Rate of Kidney Cancer in Men

A malignant neoplasm of the kidney occurs in 5% of all cancer cases [¹⁰]. This affects males twice as much as females. A causal link between kidney cancer and genetics and pathology can be formed. Moreover, men also have larger and more aggressive tumors, thus affecting their prognosis [¹⁰].

Kidney Cancer Treatment Options

Kidney cancer treatment types vary depending on staging and whether the cancer has spread. These treatments involve the following;

Surgery: Removal of a part of the kidney or the whole.
Ablation: Freezing or heating cancer cells at extreme temperatures.
Drug Therapy: This involves medicinal treatments that can curb the growth of the tumor.
Radiotherapy: This includes radiation therapy that is used to reduce the symptoms of the cancer.
Embolization: This is used to sever the blood supply to the cancer, thus stopping its growth.

Cancer localized to the kidney can easily be treated through surgery. However, the more the cancer spreads, the more difficult it is to control.

Clinical Trials for Kidney Cancer

Treatment options aren't just limited to the ones listed above. In fact, many advancements in biological research and technology are now allowing patients to enter clinical trials. These allow them to find more creative approaches for treatment with a better prognosis.

However, one must be active and otherwise healthy to enter these trials. Moreover, if you are thinking of applying, you may need to speak to your doctor and health insurance provider first.

Conclusion

Takeaway

There's a lot we can learn from cancer research. Understanding what staging means, relevant prognosis, and risk factors can help us understand kidney cancer better. Yet, the final treatment and prognosis differ from person to person.

Treatment and diagnosis are best left to a doctor. Attempting to research symptoms and possible prognosis might only lead to unnecessary concern.