Kidney cancer treatment
If you are diagnosed with kidney cancer, your care team will evaluate several factors before recommending a treatment. They’ll consider your age, overall health, and the stage of your cancer.
If the cancer is only in your kidney, surgery is often the first and possibly only treatment needed. In some cases, your care team might recommend a watchful waiting approach (active surveillance). This means closely watching the cancer without treatment unless symptoms change or appear. If the cancer has spread beyond your kidney, surgery might not be an option, and your care team may explore other treatments.
Types of kidney cancer treatments
While surgery is often the preferred treatment for kidney cancer, it may not be an option for everyone, such as people who are too unwell or those who prefer to avoid surgery.
We offer a range of kidney cancer treatments tailored to your unique needs. Our expert team takes an individualized approach, using the latest advancements and proven methods to give you the best possible outcome. Whether your treatment involves surgery, targeted therapy, or a combination of options, we’re committed to providing care that fits your health, goals, and lifestyle.
Surgical tumor resection (removal) of the kidney is the only known cure for kidney cancer. Surgery to remove part or all of the kidney is called a nephrectomy.
Types of nephrectomy surgery include:
- Radical (complete) nephrectomy: This procedure removes the entire kidney and some nearby lymph nodes. Surgeons perform traditional nephrectomies with one larger incision, or laparoscopically through several small incisions.
- Partial (nephron-sparing) nephrectomy: This procedure removes just part of the kidney. It may be performed with conventional surgery or with minimally invasive procedures.
Targeted molecular therapy is a type of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy uses drugs to attack cancer cells. These drugs slow or stop the ability of cancer cells to grow and multiply.
In targeted therapy, we use a drug, or combination of drugs, to interfere with a target found on certain cancer cells. These targets are usually proteins that drive cancer’s growth and spread.
Because not every cancer develops in the same way in every person, we tailor your targeted therapy to your specific needs. Targeted therapies are available for both early and advanced stage kidney cancers.
Immunotherapy trains the body’s immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. Research shows that immunotherapy drugs can help patients with advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma live longer.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to destroy cancer. We may recommend radiation to improve your quality of life by easing cancer symptoms like bleeding and pain (a form of palliative care).
Our radiation oncologists use the latest equipment and technology, including proton therapy, to treat kidney cancer while protecting healthy tissue. As a result, patients have a better chance of being cured with fewer harmful side effects.
Ablation therapy uses energy sources to eliminate kidney cancers. This treatment is minimally invasive, so you have fewer complications, and shorter hospital stays than with traditional surgery. You may receive tumor ablation if you are too sick for surgery or don’t want to have surgery.
Our kidney cancer team includes a skilled interventional radiologist who performs ablation procedures. This ablation specialist uses advanced imaging, such as CT scans, to target tumors and spare healthy kidney tissue. You can also have more than one tumor treated during one ablation procedure.
We offer:
- Radiofrequency ablation, or RFA, which uses electrical currents made by radio waves to eliminate cancer cells
- Cryotherapy, which uses extreme cold to destroy cancer cells
Most small kidney tumors grow slowly. Active surveillance can be an effective option because doctors find many kidney cancers early when they are still small.
Active surveillance involves taking regular images of the tumors to check them for growth and spread. This strategy allows you to avoid more invasive treatments and side effects.
Our kidney specialists customize your surveillance plan for your situation. You’re seen regularly by an advanced practice provider (APP) who is specially trained to notice any concerning changes in a tumor. If they do, they work with your doctors to get you timely treatment.
Penn Medicine’s kidney cancer treatments
At Penn Medicine, you have access to both proven kidney cancer treatments and innovative new therapies. Our nationally recognized kidney cancer experts take the time to understand you, your health, and your life goals. They collaborate with you to select the right treatments at the right time to achieve the best possible results.
Your treatment plan may include one or more of these options.
Treating kidney cancer: Why choose Penn Medicine?
Our comprehensive kidney cancer program provides people with more treatment options for all types of kidney cancer, including renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Working together, our team of world-class kidney cancer specialists uses the latest research and years of experience to create effective treatment plans.
We also offer:
- Robotic-assisted procedures: Our surgeons are skilled in robotic-assisted nephrectomies, which lead to less blood loss, more precise stitching (suturing), and better outcomes. With this experience, we often perform complex partial nephrectomies that other centers can’t do.
- Comprehensive RCC treatment options: We offer the latest advances in every area of renal cancer treatment, including renal cell carcinoma immunotherapies and targeted therapies. We also offer the latest radiation options, including proton therapy.
- Expertise in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: Our oncologists have helped develop some of the standard treatments widely used for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer that has spread to other areas of the body). They continue to research ways to help people with metastatic disease live longer.
- Kidney cancer clinical trials: At Penn Medicine, you have access to clinical trials for kidney cancer. Some of these trials have led to better kidney cancer treatments.
- Pathologists who specialize in urologic cancers: Identifying the right molecular targets is a key part of targeted therapy. It requires working closely with pathologists to carefully analyze the cancer cells. Our expert pathologists can uncover key details that others may miss.
- Urgent care for treatment side effects: Sometimes cancer treatments cause unpleasant or serious side effects. We offer same-day appointments in our Oncology Evaluation Center (OEC) dedicated to patients who are actively getting treatment to help manage cancer treatment side effects. This urgent care helps keep you safe and on track with your treatment plan.
- Compassionate, supportive care: We consider your needs from head to toe. We offer services to help you and your family cope with the physical and emotional stress of living with cancer.
Rated “exceptional” by The National Cancer Institute
Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center is a world leader in cancer research, patient care, and education. Our status as a national leader in cancer care is reflected in our continuous designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) since 1973, one of 7 such centers in the United States. The ACC is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, one of a select few cancer centers in the U.S., that are working to promote equitable access to high-quality, advanced cancer care.