Patient Pathway

The aim of this treatment pathway.

This treatment pathway aims to you an idea of the different treatment options that may be available to you and provide you with clear and concise information about these procedures. Your personal treatment options will depend on the size and location of your tumour and whether it has spread to other tissues. Your age and general health will also influence your options. Everyone’s kidney cancer treatment journey will be different.

It is important to state that no computer system can replace the expertise and experience of your specialist doctor who will be able to factor in all of the different aspects of your care. You must also remember that it is your body and you must be comfortable with any treatment decision.

How does the patient pathway chart work?

You can click on any of the boxes within the chart to reveal more information about that subject. In some areas there will be information to download and print off. There may be videos with more information about a particular subject.

The grids are tables that list and answer the most frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) about the different treatments or tests. Grids are designed to be an aid for you, they will provide you with lots of knowledge enabling you to compare different options. They summarise important information and are visually easy-to-read in a table format. The grids are available to download and print off, so you can take them with you to hospital appointments. Hopefully they will provide you with a tool that will make your conversations with your doctor effective. We hope that these will help you to get the most out of your discussions with health professionals and that you will feel comfortable with your future treatment.

Colour indication of whether a treatment is used in early or advanced disease.

Some of the boxes on the pathway will have a different coloured outline. This is to indicate whether the treatment is most commonly used in early (lower stage) disease or advanced (higher stage) disease. For more information about how different stage disease is classified, look under the diagnosis area of the pathway.

• A blue outline indicates that the treatment is used when the disease in its early stages.
• A green outline indicates that the treatment is used when the disease is more advanced.
• A purple outline indicates that the treatment can be used at any point during the course of the disease.

This colour coding is to give a rough indication only. There may be exceptions when an advanced treatment could be suggested for a patient with early stage disease. So don’t panic if you see that a treatment is coded differently to what your doctors have told you. The colour coding indicates what the treatment is used for in the majority of cases, but not all.

You may find references to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) through out the pathway. NICE provide guidance on which treatments are suitable for use within the NHS. For a drug or treatment to be funded by the NHS, NICE must first recommend it. This evaluation procedure takes into account clinical trial data, patient needs and a cost analysis.

The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.