Survival Rates for Kidney Cancer

What is a 5-year relative survival rate?

A relative survival rate compares people with the same type and stage of kidney cancer to people in the overall population.

For example, if the 5-year relative survival rate for a specific stage of kidney cancer is 80%, it means that people who have that cancer are, on average, about 80% as likely as people who don’t have that cancer to live for at least 5 years after being diagnosed.

Where do these numbers come from?

To provide survival statistics for different types of cancer, the American Cancer Society relies on information from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. This database is maintained by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

The SEER database tracks 5-year relative survival rates for kidney cancer in the United States, based on how far the cancer has spread. However, it does not group cancers by AJCC TNM stages (stage I, stage II, stage III, etc.).

Instead, SEER groups cancers into localized, regional, and distant stages.

• Localized: There is no sign that the cancer has spread outside the kidney.
• Regional: The cancer has spread outside the kidney to nearby structures or lymph nodes.
• Distant: Includes cancers that have spread to distant parts of the body such as the lungs, brain, or bones.

5-year relative survival rates for kidney cancer

These numbers are based on people diagnosed with cancers of the kidney or renal pelvis between 2016 and 2022.

Survival rates differ based on the type of kidney cancer. The rates listed here include all types of kidney cancer combined.

SEER* stage	5-year relative survival rate
Localized	94%
Regional	78%
Distant	20%
All SEER stages combined	79%

*SEER = Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results

Understanding the numbers

These numbers apply only to the stage of the cancer when it is first diagnosed. They don’t apply later on if the cancer grows, spreads, or comes back after treatment.

These numbers don’t take everything into account. Survival rates for these cancers are grouped based on how far the cancer has spread. But other factors can affect your outlook, including your age, your overall health, where the cancer started, and how well it responds to treatment.

Treatments improve over time. People being diagnosed with kidney cancer today might have a better outlook than these numbers show. These numbers are based on people who were diagnosed and treated at least 5 years ago.