The short answer
Kidney cancer can develop in adults and children. The main types are renal cell cancer, transitional cell cancer, and Wilms tumor. Renal cell cancer is a type of cancer that forms in the tubules of the kidney. Smoking and misuse of certain pain medicines can affect the risk.
Kidney cancer can develop in adults and children.
The main types of kidney cancer are renal cell cancer, transitional cell cancer, and Wilms tumor.
Renal cell cancer is a type of cancer that forms in the tubules of the kidney.
Smoking and misuse of certain pain medicines can affect the risk of renal cell cancer.
Subjective: What you might experience
This section describes the symptoms and history a patient might report to their doctor.
Blood in the urine (hematuria).
A lump or mass in the side or lower back.
Persistent pain in the side or back that doesn't go away.
Unexplained weight loss, tiredness, low-grade fever, or loss of appetite.
Often found incidentally on imaging done for another reason.
Risk history
smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, family history, certain inherited conditions.
Objective: Tests and findings
Urinalysis and blood chemistry, including kidney function tests.
Imaging
CT or MRI with contrast, and ultrasound to characterize a kidney mass.
Biopsy in selected cases; many kidney cancers are diagnosed by imaging and confirmed at surgery.
Chest imaging to check for spread.
Complete blood count and calcium level.
Interactive anatomy guide
Explore where cancers start and how they are found, on an interactive body map.
Open the anatomy guideAssessment: Staging and prognosis
Most are renal cell carcinoma; diagnosis based on imaging and pathology.
Staged with the TNM system based on tumor size/extent, nodes, and metastasis.
Grade and subtype (e.g., clear cell) inform prognosis and therapy.
Assessment of the other kidney's function guides surgical planning.
Plan: The treatment approach
Surgery (partial or radical nephrectomy) is the main treatment for localized disease.
Active surveillance for small tumors, or ablation in selected patients.
Advanced disease
targeted therapy and immunotherapy; chemotherapy is less commonly used.
Clinical trials for advanced or recurrent cancer.
Follow-up imaging and monitoring of kidney function.
These are simplified, educational SOAP-style summaries showing the kinds of findings clinicians document when evaluating each cancer, based on National Cancer Institute resources. They describe typical diagnostic criteria and workups — not a real patient, and not medical advice. Real clinical notes are individualized. Always rely on your own care team. Based on National Cancer Institute educational content. Educational only — not medical advice.
Words to know
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Common questions
Where does kidney cancer start?
Kidney cancer starts in a kidney. The kidneys filter and clean the blood and make urine. The most common type, renal cell cancer, is a type of cancer that forms in the tubules of the kidney, the tiny tubes that filter the blood and make urine.
What are the main types of kidney cancer?
The main types of kidney cancer are renal cell cancer, transitional cell cancer, and Wilms tumor. Wilms tumor is a childhood kidney cancer. Kidney cancer can develop in both adults and children.
What can affect the risk of kidney cancer?
Smoking and misuse of certain pain medicines can affect the risk of renal cell cancer. In addition, certain inherited conditions increase the risk of kidney cancer. Your healthcare team can explain risk factors that may apply to you.
What are signs of renal cell cancer?
Signs of renal cell cancer include blood in the urine and a lump in the abdomen. These and other signs may be caused by renal cell cancer or by other conditions, so check with your doctor.
How is kidney cancer found?
Tests that examine the abdomen and kidneys are used to diagnose renal cell cancer. Your healthcare team can explain which tests are right for you and what the results mean.
Questions to ask your doctor
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Sources last checked: 2026-07-21 what this meansLast updated: 2026-08-11Next planned review: 2027-07-21
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How this page was created
Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes. We do not employ clinicians and do not intend to — our work is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and checked line by line against the sources listed on it. That confirms the sources support what the page says. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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