Renal Cell Carcinoma is the most common type of Kidney Cancer. Over 40,000 new cases are detected in America each year of which 12,000 deaths occur. Kidney Cancer is most common in men over the age of 50. (kidney cancer causes)

Overall prognosis depends on the stage of the cancer, the general health state, age and also on the overall performance status of the individual at the time of diagnosis and treatment. (This is important because a poor overall performance means symptoms like fever, weight loss and extreme tiredness that inhibit treatment.) Patients who don’t have such symptoms have a better prognosis.

The overall kidney cancer survival rates are 44% for 5 years and 40% for 10 years. About 1 in 4 people (25%) with kidney cancer have stage 4 cancer when they are diagnosed and when this happens barely 10% make it to 5 years. However, it must be noted that even at this stage if the cancerous tumor is of a low grade① and is localized, the kidney cancer survival rate can be as high as 40%.

Generally, if the cancer is diagnosed at stage 1, the prognosis is good because a complete surgical resection of the cancerous growth is possible. At stage 2, the survival rate for 5 years is 65 – 75%. At stage 3 the kidney cancer survival rate begins to diminish because the cancer would have spread to the nearby lymph nodes, the survival rate drops to 40 – 70% for 5 years.  At stage 4, if the cancer has reached the other organs of the body, the overall 5 year survival rate is barely 10%.

A very simple RCC staging form and Understanding your Grade and Stage of Kidney Cancer

Kidney cancer survival rates are also specified based on the size of the tumors. If the tumors are less than 4 cms, the survival rates are as high as 90-95%. Larger tumors allow a survival rate of 80-85%. Thereafter, if the cancer has spread, the survival rates diminish to 5-15%.

Surgery is the general treatment if resection is possible. Kidney Cancer is resistant to Chemotherapy and radiation therapy, but they may used as a adjuvant therapy or in combination with other therapy. Kidney tumors have a tendency to reoccur after surgery. If they do, the prognosis is very poor.

Stage and grade aren’t the only important factors. In reality, a great deal of why the prognosis varies so much is simply unknown, and although it’s clear that the known prognostic factors matter quite a bit, there simply isn’t any way to determine the prognosis with any great precision.

4 most important factors in extending life of advanced RCC patients

stages and survival rates on kidney cancer forum

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Hope in the Face of Cancer: A Survival Guide for the Journey You Did Not Choose  (paperback)

From Publishers Weekly

Amy Givler is a physician and professor of family medicine at Louisiana State University. She is also a cancer survivor who writes from both a personal and professional standpoint in Hope in the Face of Cancer, her first book. In it, she offers medical advice and encouraging statistics about the improving rates of cancer survival; draws upon her own story to hearten anxious readers; and guides them through the bewildering array of treatment choices. The volume closes with an appendix about cancer organizations, Web sites and relevant medical literature. This helpful book will comfort many Christians who have been diagnosed with the dreaded disease.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

Amy Givler, M.D. a cancer survivor, shares her experience and the stories of others with the voice of encouragement, faith, and strength she so desperately needed at the point of her diagnosis. With medical knowledge and insight into the path to come, Dr. Givler is able to offer answers and hope as she discusses:

• looking at cancer through the lens of hope
• seeking, evaluating, and making decisions for treatment
• drawing closer to God along the journey
• facing family and friends 

Dr. Givler shares more than professional wisdom; she extends her friendship. And as a fellow survivor she provides a comforting presence during an experience that too often is mired in uncertainty, fear, and loneliness.

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①  Grading

The grade affects the prognosis, but doesn’t currently affect treatment. The treatment is the same for a given stage regardless of the grade. Grade also correlates with stage in that larger tumors tend to be higher grade.

The most widely used and most predictive grading system for renal cell cancer is the “Fuhrman Nuclear Grade”. Your pathology report should use the Fuhrman Grade. Fuhrman grade is on a scale of I-IV, where grade I carries the best prognosis and grade IV the worst.

Nuclear grade means that the system is based on just the appearance of the nuclei of the cancer cells, rather than the appearance or structure of the cells as a whole. Nuclear characteristics used in the Fuhrman Grade particularly indicate how actively the cells are making protein.

Nuclear Characteristics Used in the Fuhrman System

• Size and shape of the nucleus as a whole.
• Number and size of nucleoli (Nucleoli are organelles found in the cell nucleus which make ribosomes which in turn are protein making factories. More nucleoli implies more active protein synthesis).
• Chromatin clumping (Chromatin is the substance of chromosomes and contains DNA and associated proteins. I’m not exactly sure why clumping indicates a more aggressive tumor).

Reference: Steve Dunn’s cancer guide

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