While treating cancer, a team of different doctors comes together to administer a combination of treatments to increase the efficiency of the overall treatment plan. For kidney cancer, the team of doctors usually comprises of a urologist, a urologic oncologist, a medical oncologist, and a radiation oncologist.

Here are the different treatment types for kidney cancer that can be opted for, depending on the stage of the condition, the patient’s overall health, and some other factors.

Kidney cancer treatment by stage
The different treatment types for kidney cancer that are offered largely depend on the stage at which the cancer is. The overall health and patient’s preferences are also taken into consideration.

Treatment for stages I, II, and III of kidney cancer
When the cancer is at stages I and II, it is still limited to the kidney. At stage III, cancer has spread to the nearby lymph nodes or the nearby large veins. At these stages, the cancer tumor is usually removed with the help of surgery. The most common approaches include:

• Partial nephrectomy
  In this procedure, only the diseased part of the kidney is removed. This is often the preferred plan of treatment when the tumor has not grown more than 7 cm or is a little less than 3 inches.

• Radical nephrectomy
  In this procedure, the entire kidney is removed. In case the lymph nodes around the kidneys have enlarged, they might also be removed surgically.

In some cases of stage III, cancer could have reached the nearby veins. To treat this, the surgeons might have to cut the veins to get rid of cancer. To perform this surgery, the patient might have to undergo a bypass. It is done so that the patient’s heart can stop functioning for some time to allow the surgeon to remove cancer from the vein that leads to the heart.

Treatment for stage IV of kidney cancer
At this stage, cancer has spread outside the kidney or has reached the other body parts such as other organs or lymph nodes that are distant. The treatment plan at this stage will depend on the extensiveness of cancer and the overall health of the patient. At times, surgery can also be considered as a treatment plan.

In rare cases, the main cancer tumor looks like it can be removed and the condition has only affected one other area of the body. In these cases, if the overall health of the patient is good, surgery can be used to remove both kidneys and the area outside the kidney that has been affected. This can increase the life expectancy of the patients.

In some cases, radiation therapy can also be used to treat the area outside the kidney that has been affected.