Genitourinary Oncology Program

Patient and Family Education

Kidney Cancer (Renal Cancer)

What Is Kidney Cancer?

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Dr. Heather Mannuel’s Bio | Q&A Archive

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Kidney cancer is a disease in which cancerous cells develop in the tissues of the kidney. Kidney cancer occurs when cells in the kidney grow out of control, clump together and form a malignant tumor.

The kidneys are two large, bean-shaped organs -- one located to the left, and the other to the right of the backbone. Kidney cancer may also be referred to as renal cancer.

There are two main types of primary kidney cancer in adults:

renal cell cancer
transitional cell cancer

The American Cancer Society estimates that 54,390 new cases of kidney cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2008. Renal cell cancer is the most common type of kidney cancer, and accounts for about 85 percent of all kidney tumors. It is more common in men than women, usually occurring in men over 55 years old.

The information presented in this Cancer Overview refers to renal cell cancer.

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