Definition

One of the following is found: (1) the cancer in the kidney is any size and cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes; or (2) cancer has spread to blood vessels in or near the kidney (renal vein or vena cava), to the fat around the structures in the kidney that collect urine, or to the layer of fatty tissue around the kidney. Cancer may have spread to nearby lymph nodes. Also called stage III renal cell cancer.