Renal Cancer
Renal cancer is usually renal cell carcinoma arising in the renal parenchyma; it is often found incidentally, while visible haematuria, venous invasion or paraneoplastic features should trigger urgent staging and uro-oncology assessment.
Definition
Renal cancer is a malignant tumour arising in the kidney. In adults, the dominant group is renal cell carcinoma, including clear-cell, papillary and chromophobe subtypes; cancers arising in the renal pelvis are urothelial carcinomas and are managed through a different pathway. Wilms tumour is the characteristic childhood renal malignancy.
First principles
Separate renal parenchymal cancer from urothelial cancer
Most adult kidney cancers are renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) arising from renal tubular epithelium. Tumours of the renal pelvis and ureter arise from urothelium and follow an upper-tract urothelial-cancer pathway. A parenchymal enhancing mass and a collecting-system filling defect therefore represent different diseases with different staging and treatment pathways.
This page is exam revision material, not medical advice, and must not be used for patient care. Always check drug doses against the BNF and current guidance. Full disclaimer.