Cancer Care

About kidney cancer

Approximately 33,000 people will be diagnosed with kidney cancer in the United States each year. This disease can be caused by:

• Cigarette smoking, which doubles the risk and contributes to as many as one-third of the cases
• Being very overweight (obesity)
• High blood pressure and high blood pressure medications
• Occupational exposure to petroleum products, heavy metals or asbestos
• Hormone imbalances

Read more about types of kidney cancer

 Treatment options

Our program treats patients with all types of genitourinary cancers. We believe in a multidisciplinary approach to treating kidney cancer, and discuss each patient’s case at a weekly  conference attended by surgeons, pathologists, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists. This means you will benefit from the expertise of our entire team. Our doctors are also experienced researchers who are involved in many research studies of new cancer treatments.

Medical treatment

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to treat cancer. In most cases, chemotherapy works by stopping cancer cells from growing or reproducing. Different drugs work in different ways to fight cancer. Your medical oncologist will recommend the best treatment plan for you. Studies have shown that chemotherapy after surgery can increase the survival rate for some patients with kidney cancer. Chemotherapy can also help relieve symptoms of advanced cancer.

Surgical services

Our surgeons are fellowship trained specialists with extensive experience in the latest surgery techniques, including open (traditional), laparoscopic (small incision) and robotic techniques. We offer all forms of minimally invasive surgery for kidney cancer. Our surgeons are also experts in open surgical treatment of advanced cancer.

Our team includes specialists in:

• Robotic and minimally invasive surgery
• Open surgery for advanced cancer
• Urinary diversion (moving the structures of the urinary tract) and reconstruction

Read more about surgical options

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation beams that penetrate deep into the body to safely and effectively treat cancer and other diseases. This treatment can also be used to relieve symptoms, such as pain caused by cancer.

Radiation works by damaging cancer cells so that they cannot reproduce and eventually die. When cancer cells die, the body removes them naturally over time. Your body’s healthy cells are also sensitive to radiation. However, normal cells can repair radiation damage, while cancer cells cannot.