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Genitourinary Oncology Program

Patient and Family Education

Kidney Cancer (Renal Cancer)

Treatment Options

Treatment for kidney cancer depends on the stage of the disease, the patient's general health and age, and other factors. Your doctor will develop a treatment plan that fits your individual needs.

People with kidney cancer may be treated with:

• Cryosurgery
• Surgery
• Radiation Therapy
• Biological Therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Hormone Therapy
• Arterial Embolization

 

Laparoscopic Cryosurgery for Kidney Cancer

Cryosurgery, a newer minimally invasive option for kidney cancer, is a technique used to freeze and kill abnormal cells. Using a small probe, surgeons freeze the cancer cells to less than -70° Celsius, thereby killing the cancer cells.For internal tumors, liquid nitrogen is circulated through a hollow instrument called a cryoprobe, which is placed in contact with the tumor. Using ultrasound or MRI , the doctor guides the cryoprobe and monitors the freezing of the cells, thus limiting damage to nearby healthy tissue. The probes may be put into the tumor during surgery or through the skin (percutaneously).

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Surgery

Surgery to remove the kidney is called a nephrectomy and it is the most common treatment for kidney cancer. There are several types of nephrectomy:

• radical nephrectomy - the whole kidney is removed along with the adrenal gland, tissue around the kidney, and sometimes lymph nodes in the area.
  
  
• simple nephrectomy - only the kidney is removed.
  
  
• partial nephrectomy - only the part of the kidney that contains the tumor is removed.

The remaining kidney is generally able to perform the work of both kidneys.

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Radiation Therapy (also called radiotherapy)

Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells, and is also sometimes used to relieve pain when kidney cancer has spread to the bone.

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Biological Therapy (also called immunotherapy)

Biological therapy is a treatment that uses the body's own immune system to fight cancer. It uses materials made by the body or in the laboratory to restore the body's natural defenses against the disease.

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Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or injected by a needle into a vein or muscle.

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Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy uses hormones to stop cancer cells from growing. This type of therapy is used in a small number of patients with advanced kidney cancer.

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Arterial Embolization

Arterial embolization is a procedure in which small pieces of a special gelatin sponge, or other material, are injected through a catheter to clog the main renal blood vessel. This procedure shrinks the tumor by depriving it of the oxygen-carrying blood and other substances it needs to grow. It may also be used before an operation to make surgery easier, or to provide relief from pain or bleeding when removal of the tumor is not possible

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This page was last updated on: October 6, 2009.

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