Kidney Cancer
About 4,900 Australians are diagnosed with kidney cancer each year, twice as many men as women. Most are now found by accident on a scan done for something else, often early, and 83% of people are alive after 5 years.
The kidney’s version of a surprise party: found on a scan you had for your back.
See your GP soon if you see blood in your urine, even once, or have a lasting pain in your side or a lump in your tummy, or weight loss, fevers or night sweats you can’t explain.
The numbers
- About 4,900 new cases a year: about 3,300 men and 1,600 women
- About 1 in 66 people are diagnosed by age 85
- 83% are alive 5 years after diagnosis, up from 51% in the late 1980s
Signs
- Often none: most are found on an ultrasound or CT done for another reason
- Blood in the urine
- Pain in the side or back that doesn’t go away
- A lump in the tummy, tiredness, weight loss or fevers
Risk factors
- Smoking
- Being above a healthy weight, and high blood pressure
- Long-term kidney failure, especially on dialysis
- Rare inherited conditions such as von Hippel–Lindau disease
Kidney ‘cleanses’ and detox teas do nothing for cancer risk. Not smoking and a healthy blood pressure do.
Tests and treatment
- Tests: CT or MRI scans; sometimes a biopsy
- Small tumours: careful watching with scans, removing part of the kidney, or freezing or heating the tumour
- Larger tumours: removing the whole kidney. One healthy kidney does the job
- Advanced cancer: immunotherapy and targeted medicines have greatly improved survival in the last decade
Common questions
What are the first signs of kidney cancer?
Usually none. Most are found by chance on a scan. Signs can include blood in the urine, a lasting pain in the side and a lump in the tummy.
Can you live with one kidney?
Yes. After removing a kidney, most people live a normal life with the remaining one, with regular checks of kidney function and blood pressure.
Is kidney cancer curable?
Often, when found early. About 83% of people are alive 5 years after diagnosis.
Helpful resources
- Cancer Council 13 11 20Information and support line for anyone affected by cancer. Free.
- Quitline 13 7848Free help to quit smoking or vaping.
- Kidney Health Australia 1800 454 363Kidney information and support. Free.
Evidence and more information
- Cancer Australia: Kidney cancer statistics
- Cancer Australia: What is kidney cancer?
- Cancer Council: Kidney cancer
maladywise.com/kidney-cancer/