About Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma is the most common form of kidney cancer in adults. As kidney cancer grows, it may invade organs near the kidney, such as the liver, colon or pancreas. Kidney cancer cells may also break away from the original tumor and spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. When kidney cancer spreads, cancer cells may appear in the lymph nodes. For this reason, lymph nodes near the kidney may be removed during surgery. If the pathologist finds cancer cells in the lymph nodes, it may mean that the disease has spread to other parts of the body. Kidney cancer may spread and form new tumors, most often in the bones or lungs.

Treatment for Renal Cell Carcinoma

Treatment for renal cell carcinoma depends on the stage of the disease, the patient's general health and age, and other factors. Treatment plans are based on the individual and the individual’s disease. Renal cell carcinoma is usually treated with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, biological therapy or hormone therapy. Doctors may use one treatment or a combination of treatments.

At the Bone Marrow Transplant Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, patients meeting specific criteria who have a matched sibling donor are eligible for immunotransplantation. This approach uses the graft-versus-host disease effect to treat a disease that responds well to immune therapy.