Renal cancer is cancer that starts in the kidneys. Once renal cancer is diagnosed, the staging process begins. Staging a cancer is a standardized way of describing the spread and extent of the cancer, usually after imaging studies and surgery, and is typically based on tumor size and location, lymph node involvement, and any metastases. Staging helps treatment teams plan subsequent treatment and prognosis.There are four stages, from Stages I to IV, in order of ascending severity.
Stage I
In Stage I renal cancer, the tumor measures 7cm or smaller, and cancer is only found in the kidney. The lymph nodes have no cancer in them, and no cancer is found in any distant organs. The American Cancer Society lists the five-year survival rate, or the percentage of patients living five years post diagnosis, as 81 percent.
Stage II
The National Cancer Institute describes the second stage of renal cancer as having a tumor larger than 7cm in the kidney. Cancer is found only in the kidney, with no lymph node involvement and no distant organ metastases. The five-year survival rate for Stage II renal cancer is 74 percent.
Stage III
In Stage III renal cancer, two possible diagnostic situations are possible, according to the American Cancer Society. It is diagnosed when the tumor is invading a major vein like the vena cava, or tissues surrounding the kidney. It has not spread to the adrenal gland, and no lymph nodes or distant organs are cancerous. The second instance where this stage might be diagnosed is when the tumor is any size and may be inside or outside the kidney. Adjacent lymph nodes are cancerous, but distant organs are cancer free. The five-year survival rate for Stage III renal cancer is 53 percent.
Stage IV
The last stage of renal cancer is Stage IV, the most advanced stage. The National Cancer Institute lists three possible situations where this may be diagnosed: cancer has spread past fatty tissues surrounding the kidney and possibly one adjacent lymph node; or cancer may be in two or more adjacent lymph nodes; or the cancer may have moved to distant organs like the bowel, pancreas or lungs. For Stage IV renal cancer, the five-year survival rate is 8 percent.
