It is expected that there will be about 30,000 new cases of kidney cancer (17,800 in men and 12,200 in women) in 1999 in the United States. In 1999 about 11,900 people (7,200 men and 4,700 women) will die from this disease. RCC accounts for about 85% of all kidney tumors.
About one-third of patients are found to already have developed metastases by the time their RCC is diagnosed. The five-year survival rate is about 40%-45% for all RCC stages combined.
The 5-year survival rate refers to the percent of patients who live at least 5 years after their cancer is diagnosed. Five-year relative survival rates exclude from the calculations patients dying of other diseases, and are considered to be a more accurate way to describe the prognosis for patients with a particular type and stage of cancer. Of course, 5-year survival rates are based on patients diagnosed and initially treated more than 5 years ago. Improvements in treatment often result in a more favorable outlook for recently diagnosed patients.
