Kidney cancer survival rate actually depends on what the prognosis and treatments were done or can be done to a patient. There are different types of renal cell carcinoma and the first type is called clear cell RCC which is the most common form. Seven out of ten patients with RCC have this kind of cancer. The survival rate for this type is very high because diagnosis is early. In rare cases though, RCC are “unclassified” because they do not belong to any of the other subtypes since there might be one or more type of cancer cells present in the kidneys. This would be considered an advanced type of cancer and the survival rate will depend on how early it has been diagnosed. There are lifestyle related risk factors and smoking, being overweight and exposure to certain chemicals increases the risk of kidney cancer. There are also rare inherited conditions which may cause kidney cancers. If you feel any of the symptoms or if you have relatives who had kidney cancer, then it is best to see your physician often.