Kidney Cancer Treatment
Overview
There are two kidneys, one on each side of the spine, above the waist. The kidneys clean the blood to take out waste and make urine. Urine collects in the renal pelvis, the area at the center of the kidney, and then passes through the ureter, into the bladder, and out of the body. The kidneys also make hormones that help control blood pressure and signal the bone marrow to make red blood cells when needed.
Kidney tumors may be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer). There are three main types of kidney cancer:
- Renal cell cancer: This is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults. It forms in the tissues of the kidney that make the urine.
- Wilms tumors: This is the most common type of kidney cancer in children. Wilms tumors form in the tissues of the kidney that make urine.
- Transitional cell carcinoma: This type of kidney cancer forms in the transitional cells in the renal pelvis and ureter in adults.
Summit uses PET/CT diagnostic imaging to look for kidney cancer in people with an inherited condition that places them at high risk. Summit’s treatments for kidney cancer include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
