Kidney (or renal) cancer originates in the kidneys — two bean-shaped organs around the size of a human fist. Kidneys are behind your abdominal organs. There is one on each side of your spine. About 62,700 new cases of kidney cancer occur annually in the U.S.
Depending on the extent of disease, a single therapy or combination of treatments will manage your kidney cancer. As a national academic medical center, Sylvester offers you leading-edge treatments including kidney-sparing surgery, laparoscopic and robotic surgery, immunotherapy, cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation.
We may also recommend "active surveillance" if you have a slow-growing kidney cancer. This means we can spare you unnecessary treatment by following you carefully, and waiting until your cancer is a true risk, based on your case.
Types of Kidney Cancer
- Renal cell cancer: Found in the lining of tubules in the kidney. Renal cells make liquid urine. Renal cell cancer accounts for about 80 percent of kidney cancers. Renal cell cancer is the most common name for kidney cancer.
- Transitional cell cancer of the ureter and renal pelvis: Malignant cells form in the renal pelvis (where ureters connect) or in the ureters. Ureters are the long tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder. This type of cancer accounts for only 7 percent of all kidney tumors.
- Wilms tumors: These are the most common kidney cancers in children.
Why Choose Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center?
One of only 71 NCI-designated cancer centers in the United States. Sylvester is one of only two cancer centers in Florida that have been recognized by the National Cancer Institute. The team earned this distinction through its outstanding work conducting research in its laboratories, treating patients in its clinics and hospitals, and reaching out to medically underserved communities with innovative prevention strategies.
Advanced radiation therapy options like ViewRay (one of just five centers nationwide) and RapidArc®, offering intensity modulated external radiation therapy (IMRT). Our leading-edge technology offers more efficient and effective treatments, shorter treatment times, pinpoint accuracy in the targeting of tumors, and less damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
More cancer clinical trials than any other South Florida hospital. If appropriate for your cancer and stage, our clinical trials provide you with the very newest ways to treat and potentially cure your cancer.
The only designated Cancer Center of Excellence in South Florida. We treat cancer, and only cancer, giving you the best potential outcomes. The likelihood of surviving cancer after five years at a Dedicated Cancer Center is 17 percent higher than at other hospitals.
Multidisciplinary care teams with nationally recognized expertise. Collaboration saves lives. Your care team is made up of experts in your exact type of cancer, and every single aspect of it.
High-tech imaging expertise using the most advanced technology available. TThis allows us to distinguish between normal and abnormal findings, providing you with an accurate diagnosis. We develop a personalized treatment plan for you.
A top-ranked program for kidney and bladder cancer treatment. We offer advanced care for urologic cancers and are ranked among the top five kidney and bladder cancer programs in the country. Our urologists are dedicated to identifying cancer early so we can provide more effective treatment. We were the first — and only — medical center in South Florida to use enhanced Blue Light Cystoscopy with Cysview imaging technology to detect and identify bladder cancer.