Q. Is kidney cancer curable?
Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.
Absolutely! The good news is that kidney cancer is highly treatable and in many cases curable. In fact, the overall five-year survival rate for patients with localized (confined to the kidneys) forms of renal cell carcinoma (the most common type of kidney cancer) has steadily increased from 75% in 1974 to nearly 91% today.
When it comes to curing kidney cancer, there are several treatment options available depending on how far along the disease has progressed. For early stage diagnosed cancers, surgery is often best as it offers a high chance of successfully removing all or almost all tumor cells from your body. Radiation therapy may also be necessary if surgery isn't enough or if you have advanced disease; radiation works by targeting specific areas where cancerous cells may remain after surgery and killing them off before they can spread further into other organs or parts of your body.
Finally, medications known as targeted therapies have been developed to target specific proteins found within tumors that can help slow down their growth and/or limit their spread throughout your body. These treatments typically involve drugs such as Sutent® (sunitinib), Inlyta® (axitinib), Nexavar® (sorafenib), Votrient™(pazopanib), and Avelumab-E100K77Q2106™(avelumab).
Ultimately, when it comes to treating kidney cancer, seeking out an experienced doctor who specializes in this type of cancer should be your first step – they will be able to guide you through diagnosis and create a personalized plan based on your current condition and overall health status so you can improve your odds for success!