Key Points
                    - After renal cell cancer has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the kidney or to other parts of the body.     - There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.    - Cancer may spread from where it began to other parts of the body.    - The following stages are used for renal cell cancer:         - Stage I     - Stage II     - Stage III     - Stage IV
                
                
                    After renal cell cancer has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the kidney or to other parts of the body.
                    The process used to find out if cancer has spread within the kidney or to other parts of the body is called staging. The information gathered from the staging process determines the stage of the disease. It is important to know the stage in order to plan treatment. The following tests and procedures may be used in the staging process:          -   CT scan (CAT scan): A procedure that makes a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, taken from different angles. The pictures are made by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. A dye may be injected into a vein or swallowed to help the organs or tissues show up more clearly. This procedure is also called computed tomography, computerized tomography, or computerized axial tomography.    -   MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): A procedure that uses a magnet, radio waves, and a computer to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body. This procedure is also called nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI).     -   Chest x-ray : An x-ray of the organs and bones inside the chest. An x-ray is a type of energy beam that can go through the body and onto film, making a picture of areas inside the body.
                
                
                    There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.
                    Cancer can spread through tissue, the lymph system, and the blood:         - Tissue. The cancer spreads from where it began by growing into nearby areas.     - Lymph system. The cancer spreads from where it began by getting into the lymph system. The cancer travels through the lymph vessels to other parts of the body.     - Blood. The cancer spreads from where it began by getting into the blood. The cancer travels through the blood vessels to other parts of the body.
                
                
                    Cancer may spread from where it began to other parts of the body.
                    When cancer spreads to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. Cancer cells break away from where they began (the primary tumor) and travel through the lymph system or blood.         - Lymph system. The cancer gets into the lymph system, travels through the lymph vessels, and forms a tumor (metastatic tumor) in another part of the body.    - Blood. The cancer gets into the blood, travels through the blood vessels, and forms a tumor (metastatic tumor) in another part of the body.        The metastatic tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if renal cell cancer spreads to the bone, the cancer cells in the bone are actually cancerous renal cells. The disease is metastatic renal cell cancer, not bone cancer.
                
                
                    The following stages are used for renal cell cancer:
                    Stage I    In stage I, the tumor is 7 centimeters or smaller and is found only in the kidney.       Stage II    In stage II, the tumor is larger than 7 centimeters and is found only in the kidney.        Stage III    In stage III:            - the tumor is any size and cancer is found only in the kidney and in 1 or more nearby lymph nodes; or      - cancer is found in the main blood vessels of the kidney or in the layer of fatty tissue around the kidney. Cancer may be found in 1 or more nearby lymph nodes.              Stage IV    In stage IV, cancer has spread:            - beyond the layer of fatty tissue around the kidney and may be found in the adrenal gland above the kidney with cancer, or in nearby lymph nodes; or     - to other organs, such as the lungs, liver, bones, or brain, and may have spread to lymph nodes.