Treatment for kidney cancer depends on lots of things, including the stage of the cancer, where it is in your body and how you feel.
Treatment often involves surgery to remove the tumour. Some people also have radiotherapy or targeted therapy, and some people are treated by ablation, which is another way to remove or shrink tumours. If you have kidney cancer, you might need one of these, or a combination of them.
If the kidney tumour is small, doctors may decide to keep a watch on it to see if it grows.
Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker about which treatment you might have. You can also discuss traditional healing and cultural practices as part of your treatment plan.
Surgery
Surgery is done to take out the cancer and stop it from spreading. Surgery involves staying in hospital and having an anaesthetic and an operation.
Some people have part of the kidney removed, while others have their whole kidney removed. Some people have some of the tissue around the kidney removed, too. Some people will have some of their lymph nodes taken out. The doctor will talk to you beforehand about what is going to happen and why.
If you have a kidney removed, it is important to know that most people can live normally with only one kidney.
Yarn with your doctor, nurse, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker or social worker about your surgery and what support you and your family need before, during and after surgery. Being away from Country and family can be distressing so making sure you have the right support is important.
Read more about surgery.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy, also called radiation therapy, uses X-rays to destroy cancer cells in one part of your body.
Some kidney cancers do not respond well to radiation, so radiotherapy by itself is more likely to be used in people who need to avoid the risks of surgery.
Radiation can also be used to ease the symptoms of kidney cancer.
Newer, better types of radiation treatment for kidney cancer might be developed in the future.
You can usually only have radiotherapy in cities and some big towns – see this list. If your doctor thinks radiotherapy would help, and you don’t live near a radiotherapy site, there is help to find you somewhere to stay, support to keep you connected to family and assistance to cover expenses. Having family with you during radiotherapy treatment is an important support that helps keeps you strong.
Yarn with your doctor, nurse, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker or social worker about your radiotherapy and what support you and your family need before, during and after treatment. Being away from Country and family can be distressing so making sure you have the right support is important.
Read more about radiotherapy.
Ablation
Ablation means killing the cancer while not removing it. There are different ways of doing it – by freezing the kidney, by heating it or by blocking the blood that goes to it.
Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker.
Targeted therapies
Targeted therapies are newer drugs that try to stop the cancer growing. Targeted therapies attack cancer cells without harming healthy cells. If your doctor thinks they might help, here are some questions to ask.
Read more about targeted therapy.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is treatment with drugs that help your immune system attack the cancer cells. Immunotherapy is given in your arm through a vein. It is usually given in cycles of once every few weeks. You will need to go to a hospital or clinic to have this treatment.
Read more about immunotherapy.
Watch and wait
If your cancer is very small, you might be asked to “wait to see what happens”. You will have regular check-ups with your doctor and have treatment if the cancer starts to cause problems.
If at any time you notice changes in your body or have concerns, talk to your doctor, nurse of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker at any time and if you have concerns.