Most kidney cancers originate within the kidney itself; only rarely are they due to the spread of cancer from elsewhere in the body. There are often no symptoms in the early stages.
Later symptoms may include blood in the urine; pain in the back or sides; frequent, painful urination; and weight loss.
Kidney cancer may also spread to other organs, such as the bones or lungs.
The main treatment is surgery to remove all or part of the affected kidney and sometimes also the ureter and part of the bladder.
Other treatments may include radiation therapy, embolization (cutting off the blood supply to the cancer), destroying the cancer with heat or cold, or biological therapies (medications that help prevent the cancer from growing or spreading).