How dangerous is kidney cancer?
Kidney cancer, found most often in smokers, the obese, and people over the age of 60, has a survival rate of slightly less than 50%. One of the dangers of kidney cancer is that its symptoms often do not appear right away, meaning that the tumor may already be in a late stage by the time the patient notices its affects. As with all types of cancer, the survival rate is higher the sooner the cancer is detected and treated. When treated in its early stages, 80-90% of kidney cancer patients can be cured. If the tumor has already spread outside of the kidney, it is much harder to cure, and the survival rate drops drastically when the cancer goes undetected until its advanced stages. Therefore, it is a good idea to see a doctor if suffering from any of the most common symptoms of kidney cancer, including blood in the urine, or lower back pain.
