Kidney cancer occurs when abnormal cells in the kidney grow in an uncontrolled way. In advanced disease, the cancer can spread (metastasise) to other parts of the body.
The kidneys are part of the body’s system for eliminating waste as urine. There are 2 kidneys located on either side of the spine, around the waist level. They filter waste products from the blood and produce urine, which passes into the bladder through long tubes called ureters and is then eliminated from the body.