Kidney Cancer: The Essentials You Should Know

March 4, 2025

Urologist pointing pen kidney structure on anatomical model

Nearly 1 of 20 cancers in America is kidney cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. While the number of cases is on the rise, more people are surviving than ever before.

“This cancer—in the majority of patients—is found incidentally, meaning by accident,” says Dr. Ana Molina, assistant professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and assistant attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. “A patient comes in with a gallbladder issue and gets a CAT scan, and we find a renal mass, a kidney mass.”

Here's what you should know to increase your odds of detecting and treating kidney disease as soon as possible.

Are Your Kidneys at Risk?

Also called renal cancer, kidney cancer can affect anyone at any age. However, your risk increases with the following:

Age. Growing older makes you more likely to experience kidney cancer. Most cases occur after age 45.
Race and ethnicity. Being Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native puts you at higher risk.
Genes. A family history and certain genetic mutations can increase your risk.
Health. Your risk for renal cancer rises if you have advanced kidney disease or high blood pressure, smoke or are overweight or obese.
Sex. Men are twice as likely as women to experience cancer in the kidneys.

Catching Kidney Cancer

Sometimes, kidney cancer causes noticeable symptoms. You may experience fatigue or unexpected weight loss. Blood may show in your urine, or you may notice a bump on your back or have back pain.

When renal cancer doesn’t cause noticeable symptoms in its early stages, it can go undetected, allowing it to grow and spread beyond the kidneys to nearby organs and bones, which can limit treatment options.

To detect kidney cancer as early as possible, your provider may recommend the following:

Genetic testing. If you have a family history of kidney cancer or certain health conditions, genetic testing at Weill Cornell Medicine helps identify if your genes put you at risk for renal cancer. This information helps determine whether you should consider regular screenings.
Imaging. In the event your provider uncovers something suspicious, additional imaging tests can help confirm the presence of cancer.
Urinalysis. As part of a routine physical exam, urine tests can uncover trace amounts of blood in the urine. This may indicate cancer or other health issues with the kidneys.

Options for Managing the Disease

At Weill Cornell Medicine, cancer specialists provide advanced approaches for kidney cancer. Treatment options include:

Immunotherapy. This innovative approach helps your immune system recognize and attack cancer cells.
Radiation therapy. A radiation oncologist aims focused radiation at the tumor to destroy cancerous cells.
Surgery. A surgical oncologist removes the tumor or the diseased kidney. In some cases, the surgeon also removes nearby lymph nodes, surrounding tissue and the adrenal gland.
Targeted therapy. Special medication detects and blocks cancer-growing proteins.

“Before targeted therapies were available, median survival for patients was about a year or a year and a half,” Dr. Molina says. “We’re now able to control the disease and improve the patient’s quality of life for extended periods of time.”

Find a doctor at Weill Cornell Medicine and get the care you deserve.