Kidney Cancer Prognosis
The kidney cancer survival rate depends on the stage at which kidney cancer symptoms are recognized, the cancer is found and treatment is begun.
It also depends on the general health of the individual.
Additionally, most cases of kidney cancer occur in people over the age of 65; at that time in life there may be other health issues that affect their kidney cancer prognosis.
“Survival rate” is defined as the number of years of life after diagnosis. It does not discount for other health factors, such as cardiovascular disease, which is common in the case of kidney cancer patients.
Further, it is based on observed deaths, and not all cases are diagnosed or reported for inclusion.
Generally speaking, the advancement of cancer is divided into four stages by the American Joint Committee on Cancer. Stages are based on how much cancer is found in the body, where it’s located, how far it has spread, and the condition of the original tumor.
The Stages range from 1-4: from most contained to most prevalent. (29, 30)
| Stage | 5-year
Survival Rate |
| I | 81% |
| II | 74% |
| III | 53% |
| IV | 8% |
A separate system developed at the University of California at Los Angeles that’s specific to kidney cancer survival rates evaluates only deaths from kidney cancer and includes no other causes. It applies risk evaluations to its reporting into low-, medium-, and high-risk groups. The risk factors include evaluation of the cancer itself and the individual’s overall health. (31)
| Risk | 5-year
Survival Rate |
| Low | 97% |
| Medium | 81% |
| High | 62% |
Once cancer has spread to the lymphatic system and/or other organs, kidney cancer prognosis drastically decreases:
| Risk | 5-year
Survival Rate |
| Low | 41% |
| Medium | 18% |
| High | 8% |
Managing Cancer Naturally
Conventional treatment for kidney disease (including cancer) consists of radiation, surgery, toxic chemicals and, in the case of renal failure, dialysis.
“Treatment of advanced and metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) was, until recently, limited to cytokine-based therapies, which are associated with modest response rates and significant toxicity, including high rates of treatment-related fatigue,” writes a 2010 study. (32)
Side effects of these treatments are almost as bad as the disease:
- feeling and being sick
- indigestion
- high blood pressure
- sores in the mouth, hands, feet
- loss of appetite and weight loss
- exhaustion
- nausea
- pain
- constipation
- depression
- infertility
- skin rash
- diarrhea
- cough
- shortness of breath
- impaired thyroid function