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Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) often remains asymptomatic for a long time and is frequently detected incidentally. The disease occurs more commonly in men. Major risk factors include smoking, arterial hypertension, obesity, the use of certain analgesics (painkillers), kidney stone disease, hereditary factors, and sickle cell anemia — particularly in cases of renal medullary carcinoma.
Certain symptoms warrant consultation with a specialist. These include the presence of blood in the urine (hematuria), pain in the flank or lower back, a palpable abdominal or flank mass, unexplained weight loss, and general weakness. In some cases, paraneoplastic manifestations may occur, such as anemia, fever, hypercalcemia, erythrocytosis, thrombocytosis, cachexia, or secondary amyloidosis.
Diagnosis is established through imaging studies, such as ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as laboratory tests of blood and urine to assess kidney function, and a biopsy for histopathological confirmation.
Depending on the size and type of the tumor, various treatment approaches are applied:
Surgical treatment — partial or radical nephrectomy, depending on the tumor size and location;
Active surveillance — in cases of small, slow-growing tumors;
Systemic therapy — targeted therapy and immunotherapy for advanced or metastatic disease;
Adjuvant therapy — after surgery for patients at high risk of recurrence.
Prognosis
In early stages (I–II), the 5-year survival rate for renal cell carcinoma exceeds 90%, but it decreases significantly in advanced stages. International prognostic models, such as the IMDC (International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium) criteria, are used to evaluate disease progression and outcomes.
