Whatis kidney cancer?Kidney cancer happens when normal cells in the kidney changeinto abnormal cells and grow out of control . People have 2 kidneys, 1 on eachside of the mid-back. The kidneys' job is to filter the blood and remove wasteand excess salt and water. Urine is made up of these ingredients.Whatare the symptoms of kidney cancer?Smaller kidney tumorsdo not always cause symptoms. But larger tumors and tumors that have spreadoutside of the kidney can cause symptoms, such as:●Blood in urine●Pain on either side of your lower back, in your side, or in yourstomach●A lump in your belly or on the side of your back●Weight loss that you cannot explainThesesymptoms can also be caused by conditions that are not cancer. But if you havethese symptoms, you should be checked by a doctor or nurse.Isthere a test for kidney cancer?Yes. If you havesymptoms of kidney cancer, your doctor or nurse might order a test to checkyour kidneys. These tests can show tumors or abnormal growths. They createimages of your kidneys in different ways, and they include:●CT scan (a type of X-ray)●MRI (a test that uses magnets to create images)●Ultrasound (a test that uses sound waves to create images)Mostpeople find out that they have kidney cancer after having an imaging test foran unrelated symptom. For example, people sometimes have a CT scan because theyhave belly pain and then find out that they have a tumor in a kidney.Whatis kidney cancer staging?Cancer staging is a way in which doctorsfind out how far a cancer has spread.Theright treatment for you will depend a lot on the stage of your cancer.Howis kidney cancer treated?People with kidney cancer often have 1 orboth of the following treatments:●Surgery – When cancer isconfined to the kidney, it is usually treated with surgery, with the goal oftaking out the entire tumor. This can involve removing all or part of theaffected kidney. The decision about how much to remove depends on differentthings, including how well the other kidney works and how big the tumor is. Insome cases, surgery can help even if the cancer has already spread to otherparts of the body.●Medical treatment –Different medicines can also be used to treat kidney cancer, particularly if itcannot be removed or if there is evidence that it has spread. This mightinclude:•Targeted therapy – This includes medicines that block certainblood vessels or proteins in your body that help the cancer grow.•Immunotherapy – This is the term doctors use for medicines thatwork with the body's infection-fighting system (the "immune system")to stop cancer growth.Whathappens after treatment?After treatment, you will be checkedevery so often to see if the cancer comes back. Follow-up tests can includeexams, lab tests, and X-rays.Whathappens if the cancer comes back or spreads?If the cancer comesback or spreads, you might have more surgery or medical treatment.Whatelse should I do?It is important to follow all of your doctor's instructionsabout visits and tests. It's also important to talk to your doctor about anyside effects or problems you have during treatment.Gettingtreated for kidney cancer involves making many choices, such as which type ofsurgery to have or which medicine to take.Alwayslet your doctors and nurses know how you feel about a treatment. Any time youare offered a treatment, ask:●What are the benefits of this treatment? Is it likely to help melive longer? Will it reduce or prevent symptoms?●What are the downsides to this treatment?●Are there other options besides this treatment?●What happens if I do not have this treatment?