Question 1

my mother is in stage 4 kidney cancer. she is also on dialysis. what is her life expectancy?

Accepted Answer

No clear prediction.: Each individual case is unique & predictions are very difficult--but from what you describe, the life expectancy is, unfortunately, not long. Large series show that median survival for patients with stage IV disease is 16 to 20 months in contemporary reports, and the five-year survival rate is less than 10 percent for patients with distant metastases. Kidney failure may worsen the prognosis.

Question 2

my brother in law has renal kidney cancer that has spread to his lymph nodes and bones, what is his life expectancy?

Accepted Answer

Ask his Oncologist: It is hard to give a general answer. Need to talk to his oncologist.

Question 3

doctor, my daughter was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer, metastasized and had her right kidney totally removed. since the nephrectomy, she has undergone 6 months of chemo, and 15 applications of radiation. her diagnosis of life expectancy is 7-17 mon

Accepted Answer

Please pose question: This is devastating, but I am not sure what your question is. Nobody can predict with accuracy survival. So, what is the age, what other medical problems, what was the type of kidney cancer (clear cell renal cell, papillary, sarcomatoid, etc). There are molecular targeted therapies for specific tumor types....

Question 4

renal cell carcinoma - had radical nephrectomy left kidney, cancer has spread to the lungs - surgery not an option.  life expectancy w/o treatment?

Accepted Answer

RCC: The American Cancer Society reports the following five-year survival rates: 
•stage 1: 81 percent 
•stage 2: 74 percent 
•stage 3: 53 percent
•stage 4: 8 percent

Question 5

74yr old male with kidney cancer non aggressive, very large soft tissue sarcoma in thigh primary (incurable), lung cancer  secondary aggressive. no treatment for any due to misdiagnosis.. short of breath, tires easily. what would life expectancy be?

Accepted Answer

Hard to guess: One's life expectancy is hard to tell even for the doctors who are taking care of the patient in-person. Life expectancy is not something we can guess on a free, public forum. With very advanced disease, the goal is to have better days during the remaining days, weeks, or months. The goal is not to live longer, but rather to live in more comfort to better enjoy the remaining time.

Question 6

no symptoms and felt fine til they told me i had stage iv primary lung cancer / 2nd kidney cancer. is it that unusual or rare for a person to live a long normal life without ever knowing they have it?

Accepted Answer

Lung cancer: About 35-40% patients when diagnosed with stage 4 nsclc do not have symptoms and signs of that and it is found as part of routine imaging or based on some very subtle and non specific signs and symptoms.

Question 7

how fast can kidney cancer grow?

Accepted Answer

Variable: Generally speaking, the single strongest predictor of growth rate of kidney cancer is fuhrman grade. Grade refers to microscopic features of the tumor cell nucleus. Certain cell types or variants of kidney cancer may also be associated with rapid growth in that they may typically act aggressively and are usually high grade cancers (eg, collecting duct and medullary cancers).

Question 8

is it possible to get kidney cancer twice?

Accepted Answer

Yes: It is more likely that it is a recurrence of the first rather than a new 2nd kidney cancer.

Question 9

what are symptoms of a child with kidney cancer ?

Accepted Answer

The common: Scenario is mom or dad bathing the baby and feeling a mass in the belly.  The findings are of a growing mass over time, not the kidney not working. Sometimes the mass is large enough to cause poor feeding and vomiting.

Question 10

i'm curious as to how fast does kidney cancer grow?

Accepted Answer

It's hard to say: Kidney cancer, also called renal cell carcinoma, is increasing in incidence.  In a study where patients were followed by imaging after diagnosis, growth rates were very different. Tumors that had not spread grew at 0.1 to 1.35cm per year. Tumors that were metastatic grew faster, up to 7cm per year.  It varies for each person and for each tumor.

Get Virtual Care

For Businesses

About Us

HealthTap Online Primary Care Doctors Accepting New Patients

Doctor answers about:

Kidney cancer life expectancy untreated

A member asked:

My mother is in stage 4 kidney cancer. she is also on dialysis. what is her life expectancy?

A member asked:

My brother in law has renal kidney cancer that has spread to his lymph nodes and bones, what is his life expectancy?

A member asked:

Doctor, my daughter was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer, metastasized and had her right kidney totally removed. since the nephrectomy, she has undergone 6 months of chemo, and 15 applications of radiation. her diagnosis of life expectancy is 7-17 mon

A member asked:

Renal cell carcinoma - had radical nephrectomy left kidney, cancer has spread to the lungs - surgery not an option. life expectancy w/o treatment?

A member asked:

74yr old male with kidney cancer non aggressive, very large soft tissue sarcoma in thigh primary (incurable), lung cancer secondary aggressive. no treatment for any due to misdiagnosis.. short of breath, tires easily. what would life expectancy be?

A member asked:

No symptoms and felt fine til they told me i had stage iv primary lung cancer / 2nd kidney cancer. is it that unusual or rare for a person to live a long normal life without ever knowing they have it?

A member asked:

How fast can kidney cancer grow?

A member asked:

Is it possible to get kidney cancer twice?

A member asked:

What are symptoms of a child with kidney cancer ?

A member asked:

I'm curious as to how fast does kidney cancer grow?

HealthTap Online Primary Care Doctors Accepting New Patients

Telemedicine

Primary Care

Manage Your Conditions

Women's Health

Children's Health

Men's Health

Senior Health

Wellness, Prevention & Lifestyle

Sexual Health

Mental & Behavioral Health

Travel Medicine

Urgent Care

Didn't find what you're looking for?

More of what we treat

Allergies

Antibiotics

Asthma

High Blood Pressure

Prescriptions

Type 2 Diabetes

For Businesses

Company

Health Content

Join Us

Download HealthTap

Questions?