Renal Cell Carcinoma from Screening to Surveillance

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of renal cancer, and it is usually found incidentally in asymptomatic individuals. Despite an increase in prevalence, RCC mortality has improved. Advancements have been made over the years in diagnostic and treatment modalities and screening guidelines to decrease mortality rates. These guidelines are important to all, especially the primary care physician. A significant part of family medicine is preventative medicine, which focuses on screening for various diseases, including numerous cancers. Understanding epidemiology, risk factors, and staging is imperative to appropriately address RCC from surveillance to treatment. RCC encompasses many subtypes, thus making anatomy and histology important as defining characteristics, especially in screening and diagnosis. When directing treatment modality, staging, localization, and risk factors are essential. Understanding the steps required to improve survival rates is imperative to all physicians.