Kidney Cancer Dictionary

targeted therapy: Targeted treatments are drugs that block specific abnormal signals present in kidney cancer cells that allow them to proliferate.

transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the kidney: Transitional cell carcinoma of the kidney is a rare and potentially very aggressive tumor that should not be considered a true kidney cancer, but instead should be grouped with those cancers that develop from cells that line the urinary tract.

tuberous sclerosis: A disease characterized by small tumors of the blood vessels that results in numerous bumps on the skin, mental retardation, seizures, and cysts in the kidneys, liver, and pancreas. In some cases, tuberous sclerosis has been associated with renal cell carcinoma.

tumor ablation: Tumor ablation destroys the tumor without surgically removing it. Examples of ablative technologies include cryotherapy, interstitial radiofrequency ablation, high- intensity focused ultrasound, microwave thermotherapy and laser coagulation.

unclassified renal cell carcinoma (RCC): Less than one percent of renal cell carcinomas are an unclassified type and are very rare. They don’t fit into one of the more common subtypes of RCC listed above. When examined under a microscope, these unclassified cancer cells have a structure and genetic features that don’t match the description of the more common RCC subtypes. This category usually includes aggressive tumors that do not respond to traditional therapy for RCC.

Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease: Causes tumors in the kidneys, eyes, spine and brain, and has an incidence rate one in every 36,000 births.