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Treatment Options for Renal Cell Cancer
Stage I Renal Cell Cancer
Treatment of stage I renal cell cancer may include the following:
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Surgery (radical nephrectomy, simple nephrectomy, or partial nephrectomy).
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Radiation therapy as palliative therapy to relieve symptoms in patients who cannot have surgery.
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Arterial embolization as palliative therapy.
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A clinical trial of a new treatment.
Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Stage II Renal Cell Cancer
Treatment of stage II renal cell cancer may include the following:
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Surgery (radical nephrectomy or partial nephrectomy).
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Surgery (nephrectomy), before or after radiation therapy.
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Radiation therapy as palliative therapy to relieve symptoms in patients who cannot have surgery.
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Arterial embolization as palliative therapy.
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A clinical trial of a new treatment.
Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Stage III Renal Cell Cancer
Treatment of stage III renal cell cancer may include the following:
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Surgery (radical nephrectomy). Blood vessels of the kidney and some lymph nodes may also be removed.
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Arterial embolization followed by surgery (radical nephrectomy).
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Radiation therapy as palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life.
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Arterial embolization as palliative therapy.
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Surgery (nephrectomy) as palliative therapy.
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Radiation therapy before or after surgery (radical nephrectomy).
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A clinical trial of biologic therapy following surgery.
This summary section refers to specific treatments under study in clinical trials, but it may not mention every new treatment being studied. Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Stage IV and Recurrent Renal Cell Cancer
Treatment of stage IV and recurrentrenal cell cancer may include the following:
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Targeted therapy alone or after biologic therapy.
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Biologic therapy alone or after surgery (nephrectomy) to reduce the size of the tumor.
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Arterial embolization as palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life
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Radiation therapy as palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life.
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Surgery (nephrectomy) as palliative therapy.
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Surgery (radical nephrectomy, with or without removal of cancer from other areas where it has spread).
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A clinical trial of chemotherapy.
This summary section refers to specific treatments under study in clinical trials, but it may not mention every new treatment being studied. Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Changes to This Summary (07/26/2007)
The PDQcancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as new information becomes available. This section describes the latest changes made to this summary as of the date above.
Images were added to this summary.
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NCI Public Inquiries Office
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Suite 3036A
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6116 Executive Boulevard, MSC8322
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Bethesda, MD 20892-8322
About PDQ
PDQ is a comprehensive cancer database available on NCI's Web site.
PDQ is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. Most of the information contained in PDQ is available online at NCI's Web site. PDQ is provided as a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health, the federal government's focal point for biomedical research.
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PDQ also contains information on clinical trials.
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new treatment and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Listings of clinical trials are included in PDQ and are available online at NCI's Web site. Descriptions of the trials are available in health professional and patient versions. Many cancer doctors who take part in clinical trials are also listed in PDQ. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237); TTY at 1-800-332-8615.