Kidney Cancer
If you have kidney cancer or are close to someone who does, knowing what to expect can be helpful. Here you’ll find information about kidney cancer, including risk factors, symptoms, how it’s found, and how it’s diagnosed and treated.
About kidney cancer
Kidney cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the kidney. It develops from cells that normally make up nephrons, the working unit of the kidney. Cancer starts when these cells grow out of control.
Kidney cancer is also called renal cancer.
The kidneys
The kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs. Each kidney is about the size of a fist. They are located near the back of the abdomen (belly), on each side of the spine. They are protected by the lower rib cage.
An adrenal gland sits on top of each kidney. Each kidney and adrenal gland is surrounded by fat and a thin, fibrous layer known as Gerota’s fascia.
What is the job of the kidneys?
The main job of the kidneys is to filter your blood. They do this by removing extra water, salt, and waste products from blood as it comes in from the renal arteries. These extra substances become urine.
Urine collects in the center of each kidney in an area called the renal pelvis. It then leaves the kidneys through long, slender tubes called ureters. The ureters lead to the bladder. Urine is stored there until you urinate through a tube called the urethra.
The kidneys also:
- Make a hormone called renin that helps control blood pressure.
- Make a hormone called erythropoietin that tells the bone marrow to make more red blood cells.
- Turn on vitamin D, which manages calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood for healthy bones.
Can the body function without kidneys?
Kidneys are important, but our bodies can work well with just one kidney. Many people live healthy lives with one kidney.
Kidney dialysis
Some people do not have any working kidneys and live with the help of a medical procedure called dialysis. Dialysis filters your blood to remove waste, extra fluids, and salts that build up in the bloodstream when your kidneys don’t work properly.
There are 2 main forms of dialysis.
- Hemodialysis: Your blood is filtered through a machine.
- Peritoneal dialysis: Fluid (dialysate) is placed in your abdomen through a tube called a catheter. The fluid is left in place for a few hours and then drained.
If your kidneys are not expected to return to working normally, you may need dialysis long term. This may be done a few times a week or more, sometimes daily. How often you need it will depend on the type of dialysis and other factors.
Types of kidney cancer in adults
Not all cancers that start in the kidneys are the same. Different types of kidney cancer can act in different ways and might need different treatments.
What is renal cell carcinoma (RCC)?
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer. About 9 out of 10 kidney cancers are RCC.
RCC is a broad term. Many of the kidney cancers listed below are subtypes of RCC. Knowing the subtype you have can help your care team decide on treatment. It can also help your team figure out if your cancer might be caused by an inherited (hereditary) genetic syndrome.
Clear cell kidney tumors
The cells that make up clear cell renal tumors look very pale or clear under a microscope.
There are 2 types:
- Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults. About 7 in 10 kidney cancers are clear cell renal cell carcinomas.
- Multilocular cystic renal neoplasm of low malignant potential (MCRN-LMP) is a rare, slow-growing kidney tumor. It responds very well to treatment with surgery. This tumor does not spread or come back after treatment.
Papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC)
PRCC accounts for about 1 in 10 renal cell carcinomas.
Under a microscope, these tumors have fingerlike projections, or papillae. Some doctors call these cancers chromophilic because the cells take in certain dyes and look pink when seen with a microscope.
Oncocytic and chromophobe renal cell carcinoma
The cells of these tumors are darker and stain pink when compared to clear cell RCC under the microscope. They also have other features that can be recognized when looked at very closely.
There are 2 types of tumors in this group:
- Chromophobe renal cell carcinomas (ChRCC) are the cause of about 5 out of every 100 kidney tumors. These tumors are often slower growing than other kidney cancers.
- Other oncocytic tumors of the kidney also stain pink. But the features of these tumors are different from oncocytomas and chromophobe renal cell carcinomas.
Collecting duct carcinoma
These tumors are rare cancers of the medulla, the inner part of the kidney. They often lack clear borders on imaging tests or during surgery, which can make them more difficult to treat.
Medullary renal carcinoma
Medullary renal carcinoma is a rare form of kidney cancer most often seen in people with sickle cell trait. This cancer is caused by changes in a tumor suppressor gene called SMARCB1.
Urothelial carcinoma
You might also hear this cancer called transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). That is an older name. Doctors now call it urothelial carcinoma.
Between 5 and 10 out of every 100 kidney cancers is a urothelial carcinoma. These cancers start in the lining of the renal pelvis, where the ureters meet the kidneys. This lining is made up of cells called urothelial cells, which are the same cells that line the ureters and bladder.
Cancers that develop from these cells look like other urothelial carcinomas, such as bladder cancer, when looked at closely. Like bladder cancer, these cancers are often linked to cigarette smoking and being exposed to certain cancer-causing chemicals in the workplace.
People with urothelial carcinoma often have the same signs and symptoms as people with renal cell cancer: blood in the urine and sometimes back pain. For more information about urothelial carcinoma, see Bladder Cancer.
Renal sarcoma
Renal sarcomas are a rare type of kidney cancer that begin in the blood vessels or connective tissue of the kidney. They make up less than 1% of all kidney cancers. This type of cancer is discussed in more detail in Soft Tissue Sarcomas.
Other rare kidney tumors
Most other types of kidney tumors are rare. These include:
- Clear cell papillary renal cell tumor
- Mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma
- Tubulocystic RCC
- Acquired cystic disease-associated RCC
- Eosinophilic solid and cystic RCC
These kidney tumors are diagnosed based on the way they look under the microscope.
In some cases, kidney tumors are categorized or named based on specific gene changes in the tumor. Some of these tumors are hereditary, meaning they can run in families.
Benign kidney tumors in adults (not cancer)
Some types of benign kidney tumors can be seen in adulthood. These tumors are not cancer.
Angiomyolipomas are the most common type of benign (noncancerous) kidney tumor.
These tumors are made up of different types of connective tissues. Your connective tissues are your blood vessels, smooth muscles, and fat. If these tumors aren’t causing any symptoms, they can often just be watched closely. They may need to be treated if they start causing problems like pain or bleeding.
These tumors can be associated with conditions like tuberous sclerosis, neurofibromatosis, and von Hippel-Lindau.
Oncocytomas are benign tumors, usually found in the collecting ducts. These tumors often don’t cause any symptoms. They are more commonly found in men and older people. People with Birt-Hogg-Dube might have multiple oncocytomas in both kidneys.
Renal adenomas are more common in older people and in people undergoing long-term hemodialysis. They do not usually cause any symptoms and might be found on an imaging test done for another reason.
These tumors are very small, less than half a centimeter in size. It might be difficult to tell the difference between a renal adenoma and a renal cell cancer with imaging tests alone. Doctors might monitor these small tumors for changes when they’re found to decide if a biopsy is needed.
Types of kidney cancer in children
Kidney cancer is rare in children, but certain types of kidney tumors are only found in infants and children.
Wilms tumor (nephroblastoma)
Wilms tumor is the most common type of kidney cancer in children. About 9 in 10 kidney cancers in children are Wilms tumors. They are most common in children 3 to 4 years of age. These tumors can grow in one or both kidneys.
To learn more about this type of cancer, see Wilms Tumor.
Clear cell sarcoma of the kidney
Clear cell sarcoma of the kidney is a rare kidney cancer, more common in children than adults. It causes about 5 in 100 cases of kidney cancer in childhood and usually only affects one kidney.
This type of kidney cancer in children might spread or come back years after diagnosis. Long-term follow-up after treatment is important.
Rhabdoid tumor of the kidney
These tumors happen most often in infants and children less than 2 years old. They are aggressive and can be difficult to cure. Many times, they have already spread outside the kidney when they are diagnosed.
Renal cell carcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma can happen in children as well as adults, but it is still rare. RCC is more common than Wilms tumor in children 10 and older.
Benign kidney tumors in children (not cancer)
Some types of benign kidney tumors can be seen in infancy and childhood. These tumors are not cancer.
Most mesoblastic nephromas are diagnosed before 1 year of age. They are the most common cause of a kidney tumor in the first month of life.
These tumors only occur in one kidney. They have a good chance of a cure if they can be removed completely with surgery.
These are areas of immature kidney cells that remain after birth. They are not cancer, but they have a higher-than-average chance of becoming a Wilms tumor.
This tumor is calcified. It happens only in one kidney, and it is usually found in infants during the first year of life. It is rare and can be treated with surgery.
A cystic nephroma is a benign tumor of the kidney with multiple fluid-filled sacs. It is usually diagnosed by age 4 and is more common in boys. In some cases, it may be associated with DICER1 gene changes. These gene changes could increase the risk of developing cancers such as pleuropulmonary blastoma and certain brain tumors.
Angiomyolipomas can also happen in children, especially children who have certain conditions such as tuberous sclerosis, neurofibromatosis, or von Hippel-Lindau.
The rest of our information about kidney cancer focuses on renal cell carcinoma and not on less common types of kidney tumors. See Rare Cancers and Cancer Subtypes to learn more about rare cancers, including how to finding information and treatment.
More resources
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- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
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Last Revised: November 2, 2026
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