Fall Advocacy Days

Fall Advocacy Days will be hosted on September 21st and 22nd this year. Advocacy days bring together patients, caregivers, doctors, and researchers to speak with one voice and advocate for increased federal funding for kidney cancer research. Learn more, and join us this fall!

Find a kidney cancer clinical trial that's right for you

Powered by KidneyCAN in partnership with Almara. Working together to accelerate cures for kidney cancer.

Kidney Cancer Research Summit

KCRS26 brought together global leaders in kidney cancer research, clinical care, advocacy, industry, and the patient community. Visit the website to view the presentation slides and videos from this year’s event.

Patient Resource Center (Updated!)

A kidney cancer diagnosis can be scary and confusing. You’re not alone. KidneyCAN has put together valuable resources to help you navigate a new diagnosis, your treatment options, and living well with cancer.

Family Matters: Parenting & Grandparenting When You Have Kidney Cancer

An advanced kidney cancer diagnosis affects more than just the patient; it touches the entire family. Learn how loved ones can both give and receive support.

Kidney Cancer & the Military: Understanding the Connection

Military personnel are at a higher risk for developing kidney cancer due to exposure to toxins. Learn how the 2022 PACT Act helps veterans with kidney cancer.
Making Progress Toward Cures

Our Goals

  • Provide education, resources, and support to kidney cancer patients and caregivers
  • Identify patients’ and researchers’ unmet needs
  • Engage and educate policymakers on the urgency of kidney cancer research funding
  • Urge Congress to fund kidney cancer research
  • Increase CDMRP Kidney Cancer Research Program and NIH funding through advocacy
  • Provide direct funding to promising ideas
  • Propel collaboration and progress in kidney cancer research (Kidney Cancer Research Summit)
  • Grow the community of kidney cancer researchers
  • Support the development of new treatments by educating patients on trial access and enrollment
  • Identify new unmet needs, set new goals, and keep working

Our Mission

Our mission is to accelerate cures for kidney cancer. We engage in patient advocacy and power research by supporting government and industry research funding, facilitating research collaborations, and offering direct financial support for clinical and laboratory researchers with promising ideas. Together, we can find the cure.

NEWLY DIAGNOSED?

You’re not alone. We’ve put together a Patient Resource Center to help you navigate a new diagnosis and beyond. Learn about kidney cancer, various treatment options, patient education events, and how to live well with cancer.  

BUILD A CARE TEAM

One of the best decisions you can make when facing kidney cancer is to choose an experienced medical team. We’ve put together resources including a checklist of questions for your doctor and a list of NCI comprehensive cancer centers.

Understanding Your Kidney Cancer Diagnosis

PATIENT RESOURCES

EXPLORE

Building a Care Team

PATIENT RESOURCES

EXPLORE

Treatment & Trial Options

PATIENT RESOURCES

EXPLORE

Living Well with Kidney Cancer

PATIENT RESOURCES

EXPLORE

Join Our Grassroots Army

You might not realize how important it is for the kidney cancer community to advocate in order to make progress toward cures.

What are we advocating for?

Awareness? Funding? Research? Cures?

The answer is — we are advocating for all of those things. We know that awareness of kidney cancer and its impact on many lives leads to a sense of urgency, a desire for solutions. Awareness leads to advocacy, and advocacy — joining to speak as one voice — leads to funding and research. That’s how we get to cures.

Building a strong pipeline of #KidneyCancer researchers is an investment in progress for years to come.

The FY26 KCRP Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators – Early-Career Scholar Award supports junior faculty as they pursue innovative research and establish their careers in the

You don’t have to travel to Washington, DC to make your voice heard.

On September 22, KidneyCAN advocates from across the country will meet virtually with congressional offices to explain why continued federal investment in #KidneyCancer research matters.

We’ll provide the

Today is Chromophobe Kidney Cancer Day, a day to raise awareness of a rare subtype of renal cell carcinoma and recognize the patients, families, researchers, and advocates working to advance our understanding of the disease.

Chromophobe RCC accounts for only a small percentage

I’m still here 10+ years after a Stage IV kidney cancer diagnosis because Research gave me more options, and more tomorrows.
I’m asking other Kidney Cancer patients & Caregivers to join me for @KidneyCAN Advocacy Days later this month.
Your story matters. Your voice matters.
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Fall Advocacy Days 2026 Registration | Advocating for Kidney Cancer Research Funding

KidneyCAN asks Congress to fund lifesaving kidney cancer research. Speak up and join us! Your voice makes a difference!

🚨 We need your help finding advocates in targeted areas for Fall Advocacy Days on September 22nd. If you or a loved one are impacted by #kidneycancer and can speak for one of these states, join us virtually to speak up for federal research funding!

Important to know:

· ...It's

New funding could help turn promising cancer research ideas into meaningful progress for patients.

The Florida Cancer Innovation Fund is investing in innovative research and treatment models while encouraging stronger collaboration among researchers, oncologists, medical

Clinical trials can offer access to new approaches to treatment while helping researchers answer important questions about #KidneyCancer care. But finding a trial and understanding whether it might be right for you can feel complicated.

Talking with your care team is an

The FY26 KCRP Idea Development Award supports high-impact research that can deepen our understanding of #KidneyCancer and ultimately improve outcomes for patients. Investigators may apply individually or use the Partnering PI Option to bring complementary expertise together on

When we formed KidneyCAN in 2016, the amount of money Congress allocated specifically for kidney cancer research was $0. Through advocacy, we’ve generated $285 million in research funding in six years. That’s the power of a unified voice!

Latest News

Reed on 3! Lessons on Hype (and Hope) When Facing Kidney Cancer

How one family’s huddle turned into a $53,000 movement — and a master class in the kind of stubborn, almost-delusional hope that fuels kidney cancer research. Veronica McLaughlin will tell you, with a laugh, that she has “delusions of grandeur.” When she started...

A Foot Back in the Door: Where KCRP Funding Stands for FY26

At the start of February 2026, Congress passed (and the president signed) a federal budget that includes $15 million for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP) in Fiscal Year 2026. After seeing KCRP funding...

Inside UC San Diego’s Research Program with Dr. Rana McKay

KidneyCAN CEO Bryan Lewis recently spent a full day immersed in one of the most dynamic kidney cancer research environments in the country: UC San Diego Health, guided by Dr. Rana McKay, a nationally recognized medical oncologist and leader in genitourinary (GU)...

Melissa Derr: Meet KidneyCAN’s New Program Director

This month, we’re thrilled to introduce Melissa Derr, our new Program Director, who brings years of experience in patient support, fundraising, and legislative advocacy, as well as a passion for making an impact in the fight against kidney cancer. Through her work...

KidneyCAN is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit and does not receive any funding through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) or KCRP (Kidney Cancer Research Program). Our work is funded by grassroots donors in the kidney cancer community.