Types of Kidney Cancer

There are several types of kidney cancer, depending on the type of cells or tissue affected:

Renal cell carcinoma – a kidney cancer is considered as renal cell carcinoma (also called hypernephroma) when the tumor begins in the lining of the small tubes in the kidney that filter the blood and remove waste products; the cancer may affect one or both kidneys. Renal cell carcinoma is the most common form of kidney cancer; it accounts for nearly 90% of all kidney cancer cases.

Some subtypes of renal cell carcinoma include:

a) clear cell renal cell carcinoma

b) papillary renal cell carcinoma

c) chromophobe renal cell carcinoma

d) collecting duct renal cell carcinoma

Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) – also called urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC), transitional cell carcinoma it is the second most common form of kidney cancer. A kidney cancer is considered as an urothelial cell carcinoma when the tumor develops in the tissue of the tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder. Transitional cell carcinoma is responsible for 5% to 10% of all kidney cancers.
Wilms tumors – this form of kidney cancer affects, most of the times, children aged less than five years old; it rarely diagnosed in adults. It is a rare form of kidney cancer, affecting approximately 500 children in the United States each year.
Renal sarcoma - this rare type of kidney cancer usually begins in the kidney's connective tissue. It is an aggressive tumor that requires complete surgical extirpation to prevent complications. Renal sarcoma represents about 1% of all kidney cancer cases.

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