The short answer
The Kidney Cancer Association, KCA, was founded in 1990 in Chicago and has grown into an international nonprofit. It funds research, runs two international kidney cancer symposiums a year, does legislative advocacy, and offers education and a Patient Navigator Program for patients and caregivers. Its website says it should not be used as a substitute for personal medical advice.
KCA was founded in 1990 by Eugene P. Schonfeld and a small group of patients and doctors in Chicago, and has grown into an international 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
It supports research through a grant program and two International Kidney Cancer Symposium meetings each year, one in North America and one in Europe.
Its Patient Navigator Program connects patients and caregivers with a staff Patient Liaison by phone at (800) 544-3KCA (3522).
Its support page lists financial assistance, virtual support groups, care packs, and peer mentoring.
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An early and international organization
The Kidney Cancer Association, or KCA, was founded in 1990. Eugene P. Schonfeld started it with a small group of patients and doctors in Chicago. It has since grown into an international nonprofit. It is a 501(c)(3) organization.
KCA's stated mission is to be a global community that serves and empowers patients and caregivers, and leads change through advocacy, research, and education.
What KCA funds and how it works
KCA says it promotes scientific advances in two main ways. It runs a grant program. And it holds two International Kidney Cancer Symposium meetings each year, one in North America and one in Europe. It also takes part in legislative advocacy, including asking elected officials for more federal funding for kidney cancer research.
KCA has a Medical Steering Committee. KCA says this committee supervises the content of its patient education programs and literature. That is useful to know if you are judging how much weight to give its material. It is still general information, though. It was not written for your specific case.
What KCA can do for a patient today
One-on-one help. KCA's Patient Navigator Program pairs you with a staff Patient Liaison. Call (800) 544-3KCA (3522) or send the online form. Calls may be answered live Monday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern. Requests are reviewed within 2 business days. Written replies are only in English, but a language interpreting service is available by phone.
Practical support. KCA's support page lists financial assistance, virtual support groups, care packs, and peer mentoring. The Patient Liaison can also connect you with another kidney cancer patient, and point you to programs that may help with housing costs.
Education. KCA says it seeks to be a source of education and resources for patients, caregivers, and anyone affected by kidney cancer.
What KCA cannot do for you
KCA does not treat patients. It has no clinical role in your care. The Patient Navigator Program is also clear about its own limits. It does not give specific medical advice about your diagnosis, treatment plan, or symptoms. It does not review your pathology or radiology reports. It does not fill out disability, insurance, or financial forms for you. And it is not for emergencies. In a medical or mental health crisis, call 911 or go to an emergency room.
KCA's website says clinical questions should go to your physician. It says the site should not be used as a substitute for personal medical advice. That is worth taking at face value. It is not just boilerplate.
Financial help from any nonprofit has limits. Programs can have eligibility rules or run out of funds. Ask what is available now, rather than assuming a specific program will be there.
Using KCA's advocacy work indirectly
You will likely never deal with KCA's advocacy efforts directly. Still, they are part of why the group exists beyond publishing information. KCA says it asks elected officials for more federal funding for kidney cancer research. It is background context. It will not change a decision you need to make this week.
Staying current
KCA's programs, publications, and contact details can change. Check the current details on kidneycancer.org before you rely on any one resource. Then bring anything useful back to your own oncology or urology team.
Why an organization's honesty about its own limits matters
Not every health website tells you plainly that it is not a substitute for your doctor. KCA does. So does its navigator program, which lists what it cannot do. That kind of statement is a small but real signal. It shows how the group sees its role. It is a source of information, support, and advocacy. It sits alongside your medical team rather than competing with it.
That framing is worth carrying into how you use any KCA material. A page may raise a question about your tumor type, your stage, or a treatment option you had not heard of. The next step is to bring that question to your own urologist or oncologist. Do not decide on your own based on what you read.
A note on rarer kidney cancer subtypes
Kidney cancer includes several distinct subtypes. If you have been told you have a less typical subtype, ask KCA's Patient Liaison whether it has material on that subtype. Then ask your care team whether that information matches your own diagnosis.
Sources
- Kidney Cancer Association: About
- Kidney Cancer Association: Patient and Caregiver Support
- Kidney Cancer Association: Patient Navigator Program
- Kidney Cancer Association: International Kidney Cancer Symposium
- Kidney Cancer Association: Legislative Advocacy
- Kidney Cancer Association: Privacy Policy and website disclaimer
Common questions
How old is the Kidney Cancer Association?
KCA was founded in 1990 by Eugene P. Schonfeld and a small group of patients and doctors in Chicago.
Is KCA only a U.S. organization?
It started in Chicago and describes itself as an international nonprofit. Its International Kidney Cancer Symposium meets in both North America and Europe.
Does KCA see patients directly?
No. KCA is a charity focused on research, education, advocacy, and patient support. It does not provide medical treatment, and its Patient Liaison does not give medical advice about your own case.
How do I reach someone at KCA?
Call the Patient Navigator Program at (800) 544-3KCA (3522). Calls may be answered live Monday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern, and requests are reviewed within 2 business days. An interpreting service is available.
Can I rely on KCA's website instead of talking to my doctor?
No. KCA's website says clinical questions should go to your physician and that the site should not be used as a substitute for personal medical advice.
Does KCA offer financial assistance?
KCA's support page lists financial assistance, and the Patient Liaison can point you to programs, including programs for housing costs. Ask what is currently available and what the eligibility rules are.
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Sources last checked: 2026-09-29 what this meansLast updated: 2026-10-01Next planned review: 2027-09-03
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Editorial review complete — This page completed Cancer Explained's editorial checks (sources, safety, plain language, duplication). It has not been reviewed by a physician or other healthcare professional.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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