Kidney cancer has several other names: renal cell cancer, kidney adenocarcinoma or hypernephroma. (Renal is Latin for kidney). Kidney cancer accounts for about 3% of all cancers. There are expected to be 38,890 new cases of kidney cancer in 2006. It is estimated that 12,840 will die of kidney cancer this year. The kidney’s main job is to filter blood and get rid of the body’s excess water and waste products. Kidneys are important, but we can actually get along with less than one kidney, so the main treatment of kidney cancer is surgical resection.

The kidneys are located in the back of the abdomen, about the level of the waist. Symptoms of kidney cancer include abdominal pain or fullness and blood in the urine. The presence of blood in the urine, especially if it is not painful, is never normal and should always be evaluated.

What You Need to Know about Cancer of the Kidney