Kidney Cancer Survival Rates

Cancer survival rates are usually discussed in terms of 5-year relative survival, which refers to the proportion of patients still alive five years after diagnosis. Keep in mind that statistics like these are based on large groups of people and cannot predict what might happen with an individual patient.

In addition, most current national data is from patients diagnosed in 2012-2018, which doesn’t reflect the impact of recent treatment advances.

In the United States, the overall 5-year relative survival among people diagnosed with kidney and renal pelvis cancer (including all stages of disease) is 76.5%. The National Cancer Institute records survival rates using these very broad categories:

  • Localized. In patients with early-stage cancers, that are confined to the primary site, 5-year survival is 93%.
  • Regional. For patients with disease that has spread to regional lymph nodes at the time of diagnosis, 5-year survival is 72.3%.
  • Distant disease. Among patients with disease that has spread to distant body areas at the time of diagnosis, 5-year survival is 15.3%.

Factors that affect your prognosis

Several other factors can affect your personal outcome. In addition to the size and location of the tumor, and certain that subtypes are more aggressive than others, your age and underlying health conditions all play a role.

Learn more kidney cancer survival statistics from the National Cancer Institute.

How Roswell Park optimizes your survival

As a national leader in the treatment of bladder cancer, Roswell Park’s approach includes several key components that maximize survival and quality of life, including:

  • Advanced surgical techniques, including robotic surgery, for complex kidney cancer surgeries.
  • Strategies to determine whether surgery is necessary or whether your tumor risk is low enough to safely monitored to avoid the side effects of invasive treatment.
  • Complex multidisciplinary care required for hereditary kidney cancer patients.
  • Unique access to the latest treatments under investigation for advanced kidney cancer in clinical trials unavailable elsewhere in the region

Yes, you have time for a second opinion

We understand the urgency of a cancer diagnosis and your desire to move quickly. However, very few diagnoses require that treatment or surgery occur immediately. The fastest treatment is not always the best treatment, and you owe it to yourself to take time now to ensure your treatment plan is the right one for you. We can help.

To arrange for a second opinion, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or fill out the online Become a Patient Form. We’ll take care of the rest.