Blog

Update 3/27/25: Why We Must Restore Funding For the CDMRP Update 3/24/25: Kidney cancer will not receive any funding this year through the CDMRP. A recent STAT News article summarized the far-reaching impacts of the "devastating" 57% cuts to the CDMRP, which, instead of reducing some funding for the 35 disease research programs supported by the CDMRP, eliminated funding for…

We rounded up a few research highlights from the 2025 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (ASCO GU), held recently in San Francisco, California. Three-drug combo superior to two drugs for advanced RCC Advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients (855 people) given a combination of cabozantinib, nivolumab, and ipilimumab had longer progression-free survival compared with patients given nivolumab and ipilimumab plus a placebo –…

During Kidney Cancer Awareness Month, the Kidney Cancer Association encourages everyone to #OrangeUp and honor those impacted by this disease.   In the US, over 600,000 people live with kidney cancer and about 81,000 new cases will be diagnosed in 2025.   However, in the last decade, over a dozen new treatments for kidney cancer have been approved the research community continues…

The City of Austin, Texas proclaimed March 1, the first day of Kidney Cancer Awareness Month, to be "Kidney Cancer Awareness Day" from 2025 onward.  John Ferrell, Annamaria Scaccia, and Katie Coleman at Austin City Hall. KCA Ambassador and patient advocate Annamaria Scaccia requested the proclamation.  “I’m grateful that Austin has recognized March 1 —  the start of Kidney Cancer Awareness…

This is a guest post by Shayla Mitchell, 29, who has an unclassified type of renal cell carcinoma. Shayla lives in Missouri. For several months, I knew something wasn’t right. My body felt off — persistent back pain, discomfort, and an unshakable feeling that something was wrong. But every time I sought help, I was met with dismissals. Shayla Mitchell…

This is a guest post by Jeff Kallis, who was diagnosed with stage 3 clear cell renal cell carcinoma in 2023. https://kidneycancerst.wpengine.com/stories/jeff-kallis/ This is a follow up post to my post in January 2024. Now two years later, I am a "kidney cancer survivor"! Six months ago I graduated to the Kidney Cancer Survivorship Clinic at Mayo Clinic Rochester rather…

This is a guest post by Sid Sadler. Sid was diagnosed with stage 2 kidney cancer in February of 2024. He is married to his wife of eight years, Rachel, they have two loving pups Ollie and Penny, and a new daughter named Parker. Follow him at @theunremarkablekidney on Instagram. As I’m sitting here writing this, I can hear my…

This is a guest post by Annamaria Scaccia, a kidney and thyroid cancer survivor, patient advocate, and member of the KCA's Patient & Caregiver Advisory Council. As a cancer survivor, I sometimes feel like an imposter. Even years after my diagnosis, I catch myself questioning if my experiences really “qualify” me to be in certain spaces. But in mid-January, something…

Oncology Decoded is a new podcast covering cancer research and how care providers might apply new ideas to their clinical practice with patients. Hosts Dr. Manojkumar Bupathi of Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers and Dr. Ben Garmezy of Sarah Cannon Research Institute are both medical oncologists who care for patients with genitourinary cancers (kidney, prostate, bladder) and conduct research. We spoke…

This is a guest post by Rachele Funes, 35. She and her family live in Florida. It was a week before my daughter’s first birthday. I’d finally gotten a referral to a pelvic floor therapist that felt my mass and got the ball rolling on what we now know is chromophobe kidney cancer. Being a first time mom I’d dismissed…