Each year in the United States, about 51,000 adults will learn that they have kidney cancer. If you have been told that you have the disease, here are some things you should know.
There are two main types of kidney cancer:
- Renal cell is the most common type in adults. It begins in the lining of the renal tubules (tiny tubes) in the kidney. The renal tubules clean the blood and make urine. Renal cell cancer may metastasize, which means it may spread to other parts of the body, most often the bones or lungs. Statistics show that about 30% of people who are diagnosed with renal cell cancer develop advanced (metastatic) disease.
- Transitional cell cancer is far less common than renal cell. Another type of kidney cancer, called Wilm’s tumor, is most often seen in children.