Finding out that you or a loved one is living with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) can come with feelings of despair, uncertainty, and confusion. But finding the right specialist can make all the difference. RCC specialists are healthcare providers who know this condition inside and out. They’re your best resources for figuring out the stage of your cancer, evaluating your treatment options, and keeping your quality of life high. Here’s what you need to know.

What Kind of Doctor Treats Renal Cell Carcinoma?

There are a variety of doctors who may be involved in treating RCC. You might see different doctors throughout your cancer journey. Who you see may depend on the stage of the cancer when it’s found, how it responds to initial treatments, your overall cancer outlook, and when and how it progresses.

In addition, many people end up with several doctors on their cancer care team. These are generally specialists who work together to make sure you get the best treatment.

Urologist

Your RCC journey will often start with a urologist. These doctors are surgeons who specialize in the urinary system, which includes the kidneys. If your regular doctor takes some tests and thinks you may have kidney cancer, they'll likely refer you to a urologist. If you do get diagnosed with RCC, your urologist will remain part of your care team. In fact, they may guide your treatment, especially in the early days after your diagnosis of RCC.

Nephrologist

A nephrologist is a doctor who specializes in the kidneys. One of these doctors may also be part of your RCC care team. In fact, having one of these medical providers on your team may help you get more effective treatment and avoid as much loss of kidney function as possible.

Urologic Oncologist

Urologic oncologists are cancer doctors with extra training in the types of cancer that affect the urinary and reproductive systems. They have a deep understanding of these cancers, including how to treat them. Urologic oncologists can do surgical procedures, too. When you work with one of these doctors, you’ll know you’re working with someone who is an expert in RCC and who will help you find the treatments you need.

Medical Oncologist

You may work with a medical oncologist, too. These doctors are experts in treating cancer, but they are not surgeons. They understand the ins and outs of a wide variety of cancer treatments, so they’ll help you find the option or combination of options that’s right for you. If you can find a medical oncologist who specializes in kidney cancer, you have the best chance of getting fast, effective systemic treatment for RCC.

Radiation Oncologist

Your oncology team may also include a radiation oncologist. These cancer doctors focus on using radiation to treat different forms of cancer (radiotherapy). They'll look at images of your cancer, then make and execute a plan to target it with beams of radiation. If you don’t need radiation treatment at this point, you may not have a radiation oncologist.

Where To Get Cancer Care?

In addition to working with several different kinds of doctors to treat RCC, you may also have the option to get treatment at different places. The one you choose may depend on your preferences, the type of kidney cancer treatment you need, your access to different facilities, and your insurance coverage.

Cancer Centers

A cancer center or cancer care center is a place where you go to receive cancer care that isn’t a hospital or your doctor’s office. They’re special centers that do research on cancer and treat people based on the latest discoveries. Some of them may be more relaxing places to get treatment, especially if they try to tone down their institutional look and feel. Some of these may come with their own team of cancer care specialists.

Hospitals

You can often receive cancer care at your local hospital, too. Some of these may be larger and have more resources. This means that they might offer more services and clinical trials than smaller centers, though there’s no guarantee. If you need access to hospital services during your treatment or you worry about potential emergencies, you may want to choose a hospital over an independent cancer center.

Doctor’s Offices

Some of your cancer care will likely take place in doctors’ offices. While you probably won’t receive your actual treatments there, it’s where you’ll likely meet with your doctors, ask questions, and have follow-up visits. If you choose treatment at a cancer center, your doctor may have their office there, too.

How To Find a Renal Cell Carcinoma Specialist

There are a number of ways to find the best possible specialists for your needs. These may not all apply to you, but you should be able to use some of them to get the treatment you need.

Talk to Other Doctors

If your doctor suspects a diagnosis of RCC or you’ve already been diagnosed, ask them where you should go. You might ask them where they would go or where they would send their loved ones if they were in your place. If they give you a couple of decent options, then you know where to check first.

Speak With Your Insurance Company

You can also get a list of possible providers in your area from your insurance company. In fact, you’ll want to check with your insurance before you choose any of your providers. After all, you want to work with people who are covered by your insurance so you can get the most out of your insurance coverage during your cancer treatment.

Find Cancer Survivors

If you know someone else who has had RCC, reach out to them. Ask them who they worked with and whether they would recommend them. This can be a great way to get the inside scoop on what different providers are actually like to work with.

Note that you can ask for general recommendations for kidney cancer doctors, especially if you don’t know someone who has lived with RCC. Just remember to find out whether they have experience working with RCC before you decide whether or not to work with them.

Choose a Cancer Center First

As noted above, some cancer centers come with teams of specialists. If you choose that center, you’ll work with the team they have. If there’s a center that you like or one with a good reputation for treating RCC, you might choose to work with them. Then, you have to trust that they’ll send you a good team of RCC healthcare providers who will get you the care you need.

Have a Conversation With Each Doctor

Once you have a list of doctors and/or cancer centers, set up a time to talk to each of them. You’ll want to put together a list of questions. For example:

• What’s your experience treating RCC?
• Do you take my insurance?
• Do you participate in cancer research or clinical trials?
• Which other doctors do you prefer to work with to treat RCC?
• What treatments do you prefer for my stage of RCC?

• Where do you usually treat your patients?

Once you’ve had this conversation, take some time to evaluate their answers. Think about how you felt with the doctor and whether you felt heard and understood. Then choose the provider you feel best about working with based on all the information you have.

Talk With Others Who Understand

MyKidneyCancerTeam is the social network for people with kidney cancer and their loved ones. On MyKidneyCancerTeam, members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with kidney cancer.

Have you found a specialist or a cancer care team to treat kidney cancer? What was that process like? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.