How do we determine if a kidney cancer is at risk for spreading?

There are several factors that are used to determine the risk of an aggressive cancer:

1) Stage

• For small kidney masses, we mostly use size to determine risk.
• The “T” stage stands for “Tumor” and describes the risk by size.
• Small kidney masses are in the lowest T stage, called T1a.
• Your doctor may order a CT scan to make sure there is no cancer in other parts of the body.

2) Type of Kidney Cancer

• One type of kidney cancer, called clear cell, is the most common among kidney cancers (70% of kidney cancers). This type causes the vast majority of metastatic disease.
• The 2nd most common type is papillary (about 15% of kidney cancers).
• The 3rd most common type is called chromophobe (about 5% of kidney cancers).

3) Grade of Kidney Cancer

• A grading system can be used with either imaging tests or biopsy to predict whether a cancer will be more or less likely to spread to other parts of the body.
• Fuhrman classification is the name of the grading system. The lowest grade is 1, and the highest grade is 4.
• High grade cancers are most likely to spread.