Blog

This is a guest post by Teri Brown-Walker, a KCA Ambassador and a renal cell carcinoma survivor. In 2021 I was diagnosed with two cysts on my left kidney and was told it was filled with fluid. I was told back then that the cyst was so small and not to be too concerned. However, I was given options to…

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in Boston, Massachusetts recently recognized the Kidney Cancer Association (KCA) for supporting researchers at the institution with over $1 million in funding. KCA’s name was placed on the DFCI’s Benefactors Wall, located on the third floor of the DFCI's Yawkey Center for Cancer Care. “We are so pleased to honor KCA’s tremendous support of kidney…

This is a guest post by Nicole Scott, whose husband Keith is diagnosed with kidney cancer. Together, they organize “Keith’s Cause” to raise awareness about kidney cancer where they live in Ohio. Keith Scott My name is Nicole Scott and my husband's name is Keith Scott. We live in a small rural town just south of Columbus, Ohio called Circleville.…

This is a guest post by D’Ann George, PhD, Medical Writer. Some kidney cancers are so rare that clinicians don’t know enough about them to determine what treatments should be standard, or even to predict how the disease will behave over time. Among these rare renal cell carcinoma (RCC) types are papillary, chromophobe, sarcomatoid, and hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell…

This is a guest post by Mariah Jeske, 28, who has a family history of kidney cancer and Birt-Hogg-Dube Syndrome. She lives in Wisconsin. My family leaned on our faith, the support of family and friends, and the support of each other when we found out my dad, Dean Jeske, was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2012. Dad was a…

The Kidney Cancer Association (KCA) and the Chromophobe and Oncocytic Tumor Alliance (COA) will co-sponsor a 2024 research award specifically for researchers investigating distinguishing biological hallmarks of and treatments for chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC), a rare type of kidney cancer. This Chromophobe RCC Focus Award will provide $75,000 for one year to the selected researcher. It is one of…

This is a guest post by Michele Tate. She is diagnosed with HLRCC and advocates for greater awareness and research into this rare genetic condition.   As we celebrate 2024 Black History Month and Rare Disease Day, I’d like to share my story and stress the need for early detection by screening all young women, regardless of race, who present…

This is a guest post by Brandon Butera, a stage IV kidney cancer patient and advocate. He lives with his wife, Maggie Valdes, in Houston, Texas. Watch more of their journey. https://youtu.be/NDQOghLQdPs When we last gave an update to the KCA in November, Maggie and I were recovering from some difficult news: CT scans showed that my cancer was progressing…

Dr. Kaushal Asrani received a 2024 Kidney Cancer Association Trailblazer Award in partnership with Joey's Wings Foundation for research on "Therapeutic Targeting of EGFR and HER2 in Translocation Renal Cell Carcinoma". Dr. Asrani is a research associate at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. We spoke with him about his research and the impact it could have…

We rounded up a few research highlights from the 2024 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (ASCO GU), held recently in San Francisco, California. Adjuvant immunotherapy improved survival after nephrectomy and could be new standard of care Researchers are touting a potential new standard of care following surgery for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients with an intermediate- to high-risk of recurrence who…