Kidney Cancer

Kidney cancer is the result of cancer cells developing in the tissues of the kidney. There are several types of kidney cancer, including renal cell carcinoma, renal pelvis carcinoma, and Wilms' tumor, which is a type of kidney cancer that develops in children under 5 years of age. Kidney cancer most often develops in adults over 45 years of age; men are more likely than women to be diagnosed.

It is estimated that more than 57,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2009. Risk factors include male gender, smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, long-term dialysis, inherited conditions (such as Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome), and exposure to certain chemicals.

Treatment options for kidney cancer may vary depending on the stage of the disease, the patient's age, whether the cancer is newly diagnosed or recurrent, and other medical conditions. This should be discussed with the patient's doctor.

Kidney Cancer Clinical Trials

The Center for Cancer Research (CCR), NCI's largest division doing research on campus, conducts kidney cancer clinical trials at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md. NCI accepts referrals to kidney cancer clinical trials conducted in Bethesda, Md., through its Clinical Trials Referral Office (formerly the Clinical Studies Support Center) at 1-888-NCI-1937 (1-888-624-1937).

NCI's Center for Cancer Research (CCR) is currently conducting the following trials for patients with kidney cancer. Click on the trials below for additional details, including a summary of primary eligibility, study outline, and information on how to contact the principal investigators and their staff directly.