Staging
Staging is a process that tells a doctor if the cancer has spread and if it has, how far. It depends on the size of the original tumor and whether the cancer has spread to nearby tissues or other parts of the body. Staging is an important factor in determining treatment options.
Stage I
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Description
- Tumor is confined to the kidney and is 7 cm or smaller in diameter.
Treatment
- Surgery (partial or radical nephrectomy, open or laparoscopic).
Stage II
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Description
- Tumor is more than 7 cm in diameter, but is still inside the kidney.
Treatment
- Surgery (partial or radical nephrectomy, open or laparoscopic). After surgery, one year of treatment with immunotherapy may be considered for very select patients with stage 2 kidney cancer who have other high-risk factors.
Stage III
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Description
- Cancer is only in the kidney and one or more nearby lymph nodes. Tumor may be any size.
- OR
- Cancer has invaded the kidney's blood vessels or the fatty tissue surrounding the kidney.
Treatment
- Surgery (radical nephrectomy, with or without lymph node dissection). After surgery, one year of treatment with immunotherapy may be considered for select patients with stage 3 kidney cancer.
Stage IV
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Description
- Cancer has spread past the fatty tissue surrounding the kidney, and may have spread to the adrenal gland.
- OR
- Cancer has spread to other organs such as the lungs, liver, bones, or brain.
Treatment
- Most often, treatment for stage 4 kidney cancer begins with drugs and may or may not include surgery (partial or radical nephrectomy).
