Treatment for kidney cancer
You might have an immunotherapy drug if you have had surgery to remove the kidney cancer but there is a high chance of it coming back.
This page is about immunotherapy for kidney cancer that has been treated with surgery. You may also have immunotherapy for kidney cancer that has spread or come back (advanced kidney cancer).
Read about targeted and immunotherapy drugs for advanced kidney cancer
Immunotherapy uses our immune system to fight cancer. It works by helping the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells. Immunotherapy drugs can work in different ways.
Read more about immunotherapy and the different types
Surgery is the main treatment for kidney cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body. Your surgeon may remove your whole kidney (radical nephrectomy). Or they remove only the part of your kidney where the cancer is (partial nephrectomy).
If the kidney cancer has spread to another part of the body (secondary or metastatic cancer), your surgeon may still be able to remove all the cancer. But as it has already spread, there is an increased risk of it coming back.
After your operation, a specialist doctor (pathologist) looks at the cancer under a microscope. They decide what grade the cancer is. The grade gives your doctor an idea of how the cancer might behave. For example, a high grade cancer is more likely to come back than a low grade cancer.
Other factors that affect the chance of the cancer coming back include:
the type of kidney cancer
the size of the cancer in the kidney
if cancer cells are found in nearby lymph nodes
If you have an increased risk of the cancer coming back after surgery, your doctor may recommend you have an immunotherapy drug. This is called adjuvant treatment. It helps to reduce the chance of the cancer coming back.
Read more about the stages, types and grades of kidney cancer
Pembrolizumab (pronounced pem-bro-lee-zoo-mab) is an immunotherapy drug. It is also known by its brand name, Keytruda.
It targets and blocks a protein called PD-1 on the surface of certain immune cells called T cells. Blocking PD-1 allows T cells to find and kill the cancer cells. This is called a checkpoint inhibitor.
You have pembrolizumab through a drip into your bloodstream every 3 to 6 weeks. You may have this in a small tube in your vein (cannula). Or you might have it in a long plastic tube that goes into a large vein in your chest, such as a central line or PICC line.
Read more about having drugs through a drip
Everyone is different and side effects vary from person to person.
Some of the side effects with immunotherapy can be serious and may not go away. Your doctor or nurse will talk to you about these and what to look out for during treatment. A side effect may get better or worse during the course of your treatment. Or more side effects may develop as the treatment goes on. With immunotherapy, side effects can even start after you've finished the treatment.
Always tell your doctor or nurse about any side effects you have and follow their advice.
Read more about having pembrolizumab and it's side effects
Researchers continue to look at ways of reducing the risk of kidney cancer coming back, including immunotherapy. They are looking at:
new immunotherapy drugs
having immunotherapy or targeted cancer drugs before surgery
new drugs in combination with immunotherapy
Read about research and clinical trials for kidney cancer
It can be frightening to know there is a higher chance of the cancer coming back. You can talk this through with your doctor or specialist nurse. They can:
reassure you
explain how often you will have checks
refer you to support groups
Read more about coping and support when you have kidney cacner
Last reviewed: 29 Jan 2024
Next review due: 29 Jan 2027
The kidneys are bean shaped organs near the middle of your back. They filter waste products out of your blood as urine. Kidney cancer develops when abnormal cells in either of the kidneys start to divide and grow in an uncontrolled way.
You might have part of your kidney removed (partial nephrectomy) or your whole kidney (radical nephrectomy). This depends on the size of the cancer and if it has spread.
You have regular appointments at the hospital after treatment for kidney cancer. This is called follow up. You may also have CT scans and blood tests. How often you have follow ups depends on what treatment you've had and the chance of the cancer coming back.
Being diagnosed with kidney cancer may mean you have to make changes to keep your kidneys or remaining kidney healthy. There are people and organisations available to help you cope with being diagnosed with kidney cancer, and to support you in making these changes.
Researchers are currently looking at ways to improve the diagnosis and treatment of kidney cancer. They are also looking to see if there are better ways to check if cancer treatments are working.
Kidney cancer is cancer that starts in the kidneys. The kidneys filter waste products out of your blood as urine. Kidney cancer develops when abnormal cells in either of the kidneys start to divide and grow in an uncontrolled way.
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