Kidney cancer care

At Allina Health, we believe in a whole person approach to your kidney cancer care, considering your overall well-being, which includes your body, mind and soul. Kidney cancer detection and treatment is handled by our Genitourinary Cancer Program. They are a highly skilled team of experts who offer diagnosis and treatment of cancers including prostate, kidney, bladder and testicular. 

Your team of cancer care specialists focuses on your overall level of health and includes a dedicated nurse navigator, who will help coordinate your care and be your primary point of contact from diagnosis through treatment and recovery. 

We also want you to be involved in your care. One way you can take charge of your care is through the Allina Health account, an online tool that lets you track your appointments, review your test results and communicate with your health care team. 

In the diagnosis of kidney cancer, your provider may look for signs or symptoms that may include:  

• blood in your urine (hematuria) 

• a mass in your kidney(s) (renal mass) 

• anemia found through a complete blood count (CBC)  

Your provider may also order tests to diagnose kidney cancer, which may include:  

• urine cytology (microscopic examination of cells) which may reveal cancer cells 

• CT (computed tomography) or CAT (computed axial tomography) scans 

• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans 

• ultrasound 

• biopsy or fine needle aspiration (removal of a small number of cells to examine under a microscope) 

Upon a diagnosis of kidney cancer, your provider may order the following imaging tests:  

• chest x-ray 

• bone scan 

In some cases of kidney cancer can be passed down from one generation to the next. Genetic counseling may be right for you. 

Your cancer care team will work with you to develop your treatment plan. The plan is unique to your type of cancer, the stage of the cancer, the risk of the cancer coming back and your general health. Your plan could include any of the following treatment options:   

• radiation therapy - treatment that uses high-energy radiation (X-rays) to shrink or destroy the cancer cells

• radiofrequency ablation (uses of heat to destroy cancer cells) 

• chemotherapy - medicine given through an IV (intravenous) line to destroy cancer cells throughout your whole body.

• immunotherapy 

• targeted therapy - treatment that uses medicines designed to target specific features of cancer cells and stop them from growing and spreading

• multimodal therapies (a combination of therapies) may be recommended 

• surgery - to remove the entire kidney and surrounding tissue (radical nephrectomy), remove the kidney with a laparoscope (laparoscopic radical nephrectomy) or removal of only the cancerous portion of the kidney with a margin of healthy tissue around it (partial nephrectomy).