The findings of the recent medical history and physical will direct the lab and x-ray evaluation. For this reason, one or more ways to view the kidney and its function are used. The treatment for renal cell cancer depends on how large the tumor is, whether the tumor has spread to other parts of the body, and your overall physical condition. The best treatment for kidney cancer is usually surgical removal of the kidney. If the cancer has not spread to nearby lymph nodes or other tissues, the long-term survival rates are good.
Most people can live on just one kidney if the other is removed.
A person can live without both kidneys if he or she is on dialysis. If the disease has spread to other organs, surgery is not as likely to be helpful. Kidney cancer is not very responsive to either chemotherapy or radiation therapy. It has, however, shown some sensitivity to immunotherapy. One type of immunotherapy, interleukin-2, is now approved by the FDA for use in some cases of renal cell cancer.