What We Do

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.

Patients, caregivers, family and friends, clinicians and researchers – if your life has been impacted by kidney cancer, we welcome you to our community.

for patients

A kidney cancer diagnosis is overwhelming, but you’re not alone. There are people all over the country who are ready to help you understand your diagnosis and access the best possible treatment.

KidneyCAN provides patient education and support. We are building a patient resource center here on our website, in addition to the direct outreach offered via social media, patient forums, and our special events.

A few times a year, we gather our community for a Town Hall discussion. We invite prominent doctors and research leaders, as well as experienced patients and caregivers, share news to help others. Topics vary, but connecting patients directly to experts is powerful. We love to hear from you!

Whether you are newly diagnosed or have been living with cancer for years, we strive to be a source of community and encouragement.

KidneyCAN Town Halls

If you’re interested in staying up-to-date on the latest in kidney cancer research, you won’t want to miss this kidney cancer research town hall. In this virtual event, two leading medical oncologists, Dr. Rana McKay of UC San Diego Health Center and Dr. Hans Hammers of UT Southwestern Medical Center, share the most promising 2022 kidney cancer research and what they expect to see in 2023.

Dr. McKay covers topics including perioperative therapy, frontline therapy for advanced kidney cancer, and non-clear cell trials, providing detailed information about several trials and their potential impact. Dr. Hammers discusses a variety of upcoming trials, including those related to HIF inhibition, AXL inhibitors, and immunotherapy.

If you missed the live event, don’t worry—you can still watch the full video, which includes both presentations as well as a patient/caregiver Q&A. 

Want to be in the loop for the next town hall? Make sure you’re subscribed for our newsletters and alerts, and follow us on social media!

for researchers

KidneyCAN is dedicated to accelerating kidney cancer research. We offer opportunities for researchers to network and advocate. Thank you for joining us here!

Our advocacy for the CDMRP Kidney Cancer Research Program has resulted in Congressional appropriations of  $235 million for kidney cancer research in fiscal years 2017-2023. (In 2016, this number was $0.) We help researchers get funding and connect with other researchers to keep progress moving.

In 2019, we hosted the first-ever Kidney Cancer Research Summit to bring translational researchers in kidney cancer together in an annual collaborative meeting. In 2020, KCRS reached a global audience of over 800 registrants, and we were excited to have kept this momentum growing with our most successful summit – KCRS22 held in October of 2022. If you missed out this year, sign-up to receive our newsletters and join in the discussions at KCRS23 in Boston on July 13-14, 2023.

ADVOCACY

Kidney cancer research is terribly underfunded, particularly given the prevalence of kidney cancer and its impact on people’s lives.

Making progress toward cures requires advocacy.

What are we advocating for? Awareness? Funding? Research? Cures?

KidneyCAN advocates for all of those things. We know that awareness of kidney cancer 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.

We are committed to advancing kidney cancer research by speaking up for the kidney cancer community. When legislators and organizers meet on Capitol Hill to discuss funding, we make sure kidney cancer gets a seat at the table.

Advocacy work is an all-hands-on-deck endeavor. We invite you to join us and see how empowering it can be to speak up!

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.

SMART PATIENTS

Sometimes what you really need is to talk to someone who understands. At SmartPatients.com, we have a community of active patients and caregivers who share information and resources.  

Latest News

Dr. Yousef Zakharia: “I Believe in Teamwork”

For this Community Spotlight feature, we spoke to Dr. Yousef Zakharia, a medical oncologist at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center and associate professor at the University of Iowa. Dr. Zakharia shares important information about finding the best care at...

Dr. Moshe Ornstein: A Journey of Advocacy, Research, and Community in Kidney Cancer

This month, we asked Dr. Moshe Ornstein to share his insights in kidney cancer research and advocacy. He is a dedicated kidney cancer physician and researcher at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Ornstein completed his fellowship in Hematology & Oncology at the Cleveland...

From the Heart to the Hill: Advocating for Kidney Cancer Research Funding

Spring Advocacy : By the Numbers KidneyCAN is thrilled to announce the success of our Spring Advocacy Days event, which took place on March 13th in person in Washington, D.C., and on March 14th virtually. We are grateful for the 186 confirmed meetings with...

Chuck Stravin: “With Time Comes Hope”

Chuck Stravin is married to his high school sweetheart, Liz, and lives in Quincy, Massachusetts, just south of Boston. Diagnosed with advanced renal cancer in 2015, Chuck is beating the odds and has become a passionate advocate for kidney cancer research funding. ...

WHO WE ARE →

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Latest News

Dr. Yousef Zakharia: “I Believe in Teamwork”

Dr. Yousef Zakharia: “I Believe in Teamwork”

For this Community Spotlight feature, we spoke to Dr. Yousef Zakharia, a medical oncologist at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center and associate professor at the University of Iowa. Dr. Zakharia shares important information about finding the best care at NCI-designated centers, as well as his...

FALL ADVOCACY DAYS 2023 →

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Latest News

Dr. Yousef Zakharia: “I Believe in Teamwork”

Dr. Yousef Zakharia: “I Believe in Teamwork”

For this Community Spotlight feature, we spoke to Dr. Yousef Zakharia, a medical oncologist at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center and associate professor at the University of Iowa. Dr. Zakharia shares important information about finding the best care at NCI-designated centers, as well as his...

Patient Resource Center

UNDERSTANDING YOUR KIDNEY CANCER DIAGNOSIS

BUILDING YOUR CARE TEAM

TREATMENT & TRIAL OPTIONS

LIVING WELL WITH KIDNEY CANCER

CLINICAL TRIALS →

IMMUNOTHERAPY →

OPTIMIZING YOUR KIDNEY HEALTH →

KCRS: KIDNEY CANCER RESEARCH SUMMIT →

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES →

NEWS →

Latest News

Dr. Yousef Zakharia: “I Believe in Teamwork”

Dr. Yousef Zakharia: “I Believe in Teamwork”

For this Community Spotlight feature, we spoke to Dr. Yousef Zakharia, a medical oncologist at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center and associate professor at the University of Iowa. Dr. Zakharia shares important information about finding the best care at NCI-designated centers, as well as his...

SUPPORT OUR WORK →

ROCK THE RUN 2023 →

FUNDRAISE FOR KIDNEYCAN →

DONATE →

CONTACT →

Latest News

Chuck Stravin: “With Time Comes Hope”

Chuck Stravin: “With Time Comes Hope”

Chuck Stravin is married to his high school sweetheart, Liz, and lives in Quincy, Massachusetts, just south of Boston. Diagnosed with advanced renal cancer in 2015, Chuck is beating the odds and has become a passionate advocate for kidney cancer research funding.   For this month's Community...