Blog

Supporting scientific and medical research is a core pillar of the KCA's mission. We're proud to share our top 10 initiatives from 2025 that are driving discovery, building partnerships, and translating science into patient engagement to shape the future of kidney cancer research. Scientific Advancements Driving discovery and shaping the future of kidney cancer research. 1. New Treatment Strategy for…

This is a guest post by Catherine Yutmeyer, a patient advocate diagnosed with stage 4 chromophobe renal cell carcinoma. Catherine attended the Kidney Cancer Association's 2025 International Kidney Cancer Symposium (IKCS): North America, held in Denver, Colorado on November 13-15. She shared her insights, takeaways, and overall experience at the meeting. Five years ago, I was diagnosed with stage IV…

Jessica Cheng, MSN, APRN, FNP-C is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. She practices in the Genitourinary Medical Oncology outpatient clinic, specializing in kidney and bladder cancers. Jessica provides comprehensive longitudinal oncology care, including new-patient and follow-up evaluations, ordering and interpreting labs and imaging, managing treatment toxicities—such as immune-related…

Sweta Patel, BSN, RN, OCN, is a Clinical Trial Nurse at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York. Sweta works with kidney cancer clinical trials and care for patients enrolled in these studies. Her clinical responsibilities include managing and reviewing trials, coordinating patient care, and ensuring that patients receive the best support throughout their participation in the…

Renata Penafiel, PA-C, MPAS, is a Physician Assistant at The James Cancer Center at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. What motivated you to get involved with the KCA? Through my time at the James Cancer Center at OSU, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with physicians who specialize in kidney cancer. This experience has not only deepened my…

Sarah Benitez, LCSW, OSW-C, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. What motivated you to get involved with the KCA? I have worked with kidney diseases and kidney cancers for over 10 years, which has given me the privilege of witnessing patients’ journeys throughout their medical care. As a social worker, I aim to…

Richard Markus, M.D., Ph.D. This is a sponsored post by Arcus Biosciences, written by Richard Markus, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer at Arcus Biosciences. Ever wonder how a medicine was made? What often starts as a sketch on a piece of paper must undergo a rigorous cycle of trial and error until, ultimately, a new medicine is born. That’s the…

Dr. Ken Batai received a 2025 KCA Interdisciplinary Medicine Focus Award in partnership with the Michael and Ina Korek Foundation for research on the "Investigation of the relationship between weight history and abdominal adiposity and their influence on survival". Dr. Batai is a researcher at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. We spoke about his research and the impact it can…

Dr. Ritesh Kotecha is a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He received a 2025 Pediatric Kidney Cancer Focus Award in partnership with Joey's Wings Foundation for his project "GPNMB-CAR T Cell Therapy for Translocation Renal Cell Carcinoma". He also received a KCA Research Award in 2020. We spoke with Dr. Kotecha about his work and what it…

Dr. Katherine Alexander is a researcher, Assistant Professor, and Cancer Center Member at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a biomedical research and education institution in New York. Dr. Alexander received a 2025 KCA Research Award for a project on "Nuclear Speckles as Prognostic and Predictive Indicators in ccRCC". We spoke with Dr. Alexander about her work and what it might mean…