How often does kidney cancer spread to the lungs

Table of Contents Show

What is a 5-year relative survival rate?
Where do these numbers come from?
5-year relative survival rates for kidney cancer
Understanding the numbers
Is it common for kidney cancer to spread to lungs?
What stage is kidney cancer that has spread to the lungs?
Where is the first place kidney cancer spreads to?
How long do you have when cancer spreads to lungs?

Survival rates can give you an idea of what percentage of people with the same type and stage of cancer are still alive a certain amount of time (usually 5 years) after they were diagnosed. They can’t tell you how long you will live, but they may help give you a better understanding of how likely it is that your treatment will be successful.

Keep in mind that survival rates are estimates and are often based on previous outcomes of large numbers of people who had a specific cancer, but they can’t predict what will happen in any particular person’s case. These statistics can be confusing and may lead you to have more questions. Your doctor is familiar with your situation, so ask how these numbers may apply to you.

What is a 5-year relative survival rate?

A relative survival rate compares people with the same type and stage of kidney cancer to people in the overall population. For example, if the 5-year relative survival rate for a specific stage of kidney cancer is 80%, it means that people who have that cancer are, on average, about 80% as likely as people who don’t have that cancer to live for at least 5 years after being diagnosed.

Where do these numbers come from?

The American Cancer Society relies on information from the SEER* database, maintained by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), to provide survival statistics for different types of cancer.

The SEER database tracks 5-year relative survival rates for kidney cancer in the United States, based on how far the cancer has spread. The SEER database, however, does not group cancers by AJCC TNM stages (stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, etc.). Instead, it groups cancers into localized, regional, and distant stages:

Localized: There is no sign that the cancer has spread outside of the kidney.
Regional: The cancer has spread outside the kidney to nearby structures or lymph nodes.
Distant: Includes cancers that have spread to distant parts of the body such as the lungs, brain, or bones.

5-year relative survival rates for kidney cancer

Based on people diagnosed with cancers of the kidney (or renal pelvis) between 2011 and 2017.

SEER stage	5-year relative survival rate
Localized	93%
Regional	71%
Distant	14%
All SEER stages combined	76%

Understanding the numbers

People now being diagnosed with kidney cancer may have a better outlook than these numbers show. Treatments improve over time, and these numbers are based on people who were diagnosed and treated at least 5 years earlier.
These numbers apply only to the stage of the cancer when it is first diagnosed. They do not apply later on if the cancer grows, spreads, or comes back after treatment.
These numbers don’t take everything into account. Survival rates are grouped based on how far the cancer has spread, but your age, overall health, how well the cancer responds to treatment, and other factors can also affect your outlook.

*SEER = Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results

American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.

Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located near your back. Each day, they filter wastes and extra water from your blood to produce urine. The kidneys also release hormones that regulate blood pressure and other body functions. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) can start in the filtering tubes of your kidneys. From there, it can grow and spread to other parts of your body.

Renal cell carcinoma is a type of cancer that starts in the tiny filtering tubes of the kidneys. “Metastatic” means the cancer has spread outside of the kidneys. It may have reached lymph nodes or organs like the brain and lungs. When cancer spreads, it can affect many different parts of your body.

Cancer can damage the kidney and interfere with its ability to filter wastes out of the blood. One common symptom of renal cell cancer is blood in the urine.

Renal cell carcinoma can spread to the lungs. It can block the airways, preventing enough oxygen from getting to your body. Symptoms of metastatic renal cell carcinoma in the lung include a cough, shortness of breath, and pain or pressure in your chest.

Renal cell cancer can spread to your liver. The liver filters toxins out of your blood and produces bile, a digestive fluid. Cancer in the liver can block the flow of blood and bile. It can lead to symptoms like appetite loss, weight loss, jaundice, nausea, and vomiting.

Bone is one of the most common sites for renal cell carcinoma to spread. Cancer causes pain in the bones. It also can weaken them and increase the risk of a fracture.

The kidneys produce hormones like erythropoietin, which helps make red blood cells, and renin. These regulate blood pressure. Cancer in the kidneys can lead to a lack of enough red blood cells, called anemia. Red blood cells transport oxygen to your body’s tissues. When you don’t have enough of them, you’ll become tired, pale, and short of breath. Renal cell cancer can also release substances that increase your blood pressure.

One of the places kidney cancer can spread is to the vena cava — a large vein that carries oxygen-poor blood from your body back to your heart. If the tumor blocks this vein, it can be life-threatening.

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma sets off the body’s immune response, which can produce a fever in some people. The immune system’s focus on the cancer can divert it from other important tasks, like fighting infections.

Cancer can spread to the lymph nodes — small glands in areas like the neck, under the arms, and in the groin — that are part of the immune system. The lymph nodes normally help trap viruses, bacteria, and other foreign invaders. When you are sick or you have cancer, they can swell up.

Sometimes renal cell carcinoma can spread to the brain. Symptoms of metastatic cancer in the brain include headaches, seizures, numbness, tingling, weakness, and trouble speaking. As the cancer grows, it can also press on nerves in your back or side and cause pain.

A tumor can block blood flow through veins called the pampiniform plexus inside a man’s scrotum. The veins become enlarged, which is called a varicocele. Sometimes a varicocele can cause pain and affect a man’s fertility.

Once renal cell cancer spreads, it is harder to treat, but you still have many options. Doctors treat this type of cancer with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, biologic therapy, and immunotherapy. Your doctor will help you choose a treatment based on where in your body the cancer has spread, and your overall health.

Is it common for kidney cancer to spread to lungs?

Up to 6 percent of patients with metastatic kidney cancer also may have a lung cancer, investigators noted in the study, published in Clinical Genitourinary Cancer.

What stage is kidney cancer that has spread to the lungs?

Stage 4 kidney cancer: The cancer has spread away from the kidney to distant sites or organs. The most common locations kidney cancer spreads, or metastasizes, to include distant lymph nodes, the lungs, bones, liver and brain.

Where is the first place kidney cancer spreads to?

Kidney cancer most often spreads to the lungs and bones, but it can also go to the brain, liver, ovaries, and testicles. Because it has no symptoms early on, it can spread before you even know you have it.

How long do you have when cancer spreads to lungs?

Outlook (Prognosis) A cure is unlikely in most cases of cancers that have spread to the lungs. But the outlook depends on the main cancer. In some cases, a person can live more than 5 years with metastatic cancer to the lungs.