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This is a guest post by Brooke Reeves, 33, who was diagnosed with stage 1 clear cell renal cell carcinoma in 2025. Brooke’s story is one of fear, faith, and finding hope. At 33 years old, I never imagined I would hear the words, “You have cancer.” I was healthy, active, and busy chasing after my two toddlers — just…

This is a guest post by Alena Guggenheim, N.D., Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at the Oregon Health & Science University's School of Medicine in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Guggenheim was diagnosed with a malignant sarcoma in late 2024 after discovering a large mass on her kidney. Dr. Alena Guggenheim I had been feeling slightly off for a week, a…

We rounded up a few research highlights from the 2026 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (ASCO GU), held recently in San Francisco, California. Altitude can affect oxygen-related side effects from belzutifan The approval of the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-2a) belzutifan by the FDA offered a new treatment option for kidney cancer patients that harnessed the cellular mechanism by which cells can adapt to environments…

This is a research highlight from the 2026 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (ASCO GU), held recently in San Francisco, California. Belzutifan (Welireg, made by Merck), the most recently approved kidney cancer drug (2021 and 2023) that uses a new biological method to treat disease, has progressed to clinical trials using it in combination with existing immunotherapy and targeted therapies at different times…

This is a guest post by the tRCC Project, a collaborative research project of the Broad Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Boston Children’s Hospital. *This post contains preliminary data based on current tRCC Project participants; it is not final or comprehensive. At the Translocation Renal Cell Carcinoma (tRCC) Project, we are driven by three primary goals:  defining the molecular landscape…

This is a guest post by Sid Sadler. Sid was diagnosed with stage 2 kidney cancer in February 2024. He is married to his wife of eight years, Rachel, they have two loving pups Ollie and Penny, and a daughter named Parker. Sid is a member of the Kidney Cancer Association's Patient & Caregiver Advisory Council. Follow him at @theunremarkablekidney…

Each March, communities across the country unite for Kidney Cancer Awareness Month, a time to highlight one of the most prevalent and increasingly diagnosed cancers. Kidney cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers for both men and women in the U.S., and it’s estimated that nearly 81,000 people will be diagnosed in 2026 alone. Learn more fast facts…

This is a guest post by Erin Sharp, 27, who was diagnosed with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma in 2025. Erin lives outside Denver, Colorado. Erin Sharp with her husband Austin and son Emmett. My experience with kidney cancer is one that is truly so unbelievable that it’s hard to put into words, but I felt like it would be worth…

This is a guest post by Marquita Spriggs, 44. She lives with her family in Waldorf, Maryland. Marquita Spriggs One evening while working out in 2015, I had a pain in my side that barely allowed me to walk. My husband insisted we go to the emergency room, and I am so grateful he did. I was thinking I pulled…

This is a guest post by Julie Mulligan, 52. She lives in Burlington, Wisconsin with her family. Julie Mulligan with her husband Tim and sons Alex and Zack. In March of 2022, I went to the doctor after noticing blood in my urine—just once. I felt healthy and assumed it was nothing serious. At the time, I was a mom…