In short
Surgery is the main treatment for kidney cancer that has not spread — removing the tumour and part or all of the kidney. Small masses are sometimes watched. Advanced disease may be treated with targeted drugs or immunotherapy rather than chemotherapy. Stage 1 five-year survival is over 90%. World Aid Network funds care overseas for patients who cannot pay.
A urologist and cancer team plan treatment around size, position and whether the other kidney is healthy.
What operations are offered?
Partial nephrectomy removes the tumour and saves the rest of the kidney. Radical nephrectomy removes the whole kidney. Keyhole surgery is common when it is safe.
Can small tumours be watched?
Some small, slow-growing masses in older or frailer people are monitored with scans. That is an active decision, not neglect.
Help a patient afford cancer care
Gifts go to the Cancer Emergency Appeal’s wider fund for patients who cannot pay. They do not buy a guaranteed treatment or result.
Donate to cancer careWhat if the cancer has spread?
Standard chemotherapy does not work well for most kidney cancers. Targeted tablets and immunotherapy are the usual systemic options in UK practice. Ablation or radiotherapy may help selected sites of spread.
Key takeaways
- Surgery is the main treatment for localised kidney cancer.
- You can live with one working kidney.
- Later disease uses targeted drugs or immunotherapy, not classic chemotherapy.
Care like this is out of reach for millions
The diagnosis, screening and treatment described here are routine in the UK. In Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia, poverty can put them out of reach. The Cancer Emergency Appeal raises funds towards clinically recommended care for patients who cannot pay; gifts go to the wider fund and do not buy a guaranteed treatment or result.
Frequently asked questions
Can I live with one kidney?
Most people can. Remaining kidney function is checked before and after surgery.
Is ablation the same as surgery?
No. Heat or freezing can treat some small tumours without removing the kidney. Not every mass is suitable.
Do you fund immunotherapy overseas?
Only if a licensed partner oncologist has recommended it and the hospital can give it. We do not fund research trials.
Editorial summary of published sources. A named oncology clinician has not signed off this guide. Use it to prepare questions for your healthcare team, not to diagnose symptoms or choose treatment. Editorial responsibility: Kaiser Khan. Updated 4 October 2026.
What are the sources for this guide?
Follow the original guidance for its evidence, dates and limitations. General background references are not a clinical review of this page.