What Is M1 Renal Cancer?

M1 renal cancer is a type of kidney cancer that has spread to distant lymph nodes and other organs of the body. Doctors refer to this type of cancer as stage IV renal cell carcinoma. M1 renal cancer leads to serious complications.

Risk Factors

• Lifestyle risk factors for M1 renal cancer include obesity, smoking and exposure to dangerous chemicals. Medical risk factors for M1 renal cancer include von Hippel-Lindau disease, leiomyomatosis, renal oncocytoma, hypertension, advanced kidney disease, family history of kidney cancer and certain medications.

Signs & Symptoms

• Signs and symptoms of renal cell carcinoma include fevers, loss of appetite, night sweats, weight loss, blood in the urine, pain in the side, low blood count and noticeable masses in the area between the upper abdomen and the back (flank).

Identification

• Doctors diagnose M1 renal cell carcinoma with a medical examination and imaging studies. Physical examination reveals abnormal masses in the abdomen. Imaging tests, such as computed tomography (CT) scans, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans, reveal masses in the kidney and evidence of cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes and other organs.

Treatment

• Doctors treat renal cell carcinoma with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biologic therapy and targeted therapy. Surgery allows doctors to remove the cancerous mass or the entire affected kidney. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy kill cancerous cells with the administration of drugs or radiation waves. Biologic therapy helps the immune system fight cancer more effectively. Targeted therapy allows doctors to deliver cancer-killing drugs directly to cancer sites. This limits the negative effects associated with systemic therapies like chemotherapy.

Survival Rate

• The American Cancer Society reports that 23 percent of people with stage IV renal cancer survive five years or longer after their diagnosis.