Sid Sadler is a kidney cancer survivor and patient advocate.

Sid Salder

Some cancer statistics may reflect 'backwards-looking data', making it important to stay up to date on reliable information and happenings in the space.

A Kidney Cancer Advocate Shares Advice for Newly Diagnosed Patients

Some cancer statistics, according to Sid Sadler, a kidney cancer survivor and patient advocate, may often reflect 'backwards-looking data' making it important to stay up to date on reliable information and what is going on in the treatment space.

In order to discuss this topic further, Sadler sat down for an interview with CURE during Kidney Cancer Awareness Month in March 

 awareness efforts. He went on to share his advice for somebody who's a newly diagnosed patient and seeking resources or connections.

Additionally, you can read more on Sadler’s insights and experience with kidney cancer, as well as facts and tips, in his 

The first piece of advice I give to people who are 

 — because those are usually the people who reach out to me, perhaps finding me on social media — is to try not to Google too much. This is not only because it's overwhelming, but also because, scientifically and statistically, the numbers you see online are backwards-looking, not forwards-looking. You'll only see statistics from the past 10 or 15 years. We all know that cancer treatments are improving as we learn more, so those numbers are changing and have improved. That's my first piece of advice.

For someone interested in getting involved in advocacy or learning more about their disease, my second piece of advice is to check if their cancer center has any resources. See if where they're being treated offers resources. Often, these office visits are only 15 or 20 minutes and can feel rushed. It can feel surreal because you're sitting there, being told you have cancer, and you're thinking, “What?” Then, it's “Okay, see you later.” It's surreal because you expect a regular doctor's appointment with weight and temperature checks, and then they say, “Oh, by the way, you have cancer, and we're talking about prognosis and statistics now.” So, ask for resources, whether it's a therapist, someone to talk to, or a support group.

Specifically for kidney cancer, there are great organizations for young adults and kidney cancer patients and caregivers, such as the KCA [Kidney Cancer Association], with which I've been heavily involved, KCCure and KidneyCan. These three come to mind, and they all do excellent work in their own ways to advocate for patients and caregivers affected by kidney cancer. Reaching out to these organizations is simple. I know people who work specifically for each of them, and they try to make it as easy as possible for patients or caregivers to get involved because, ultimately, they serve the patients and caregivers. Without them, these organizations wouldn't exist.

Those are the three pieces of advice I give to newly diagnosed people: try to limit Google searches, even though it's tempting. Ask your doctors or cancer center about local or in-center resources, and get involved with organizations specific to your cancer, like the KCA, KidneyCan and KCCure.

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Videos

CURE speaks with patient advocate and kidney cancer survivor Sid Sadler.

Raising Awareness for Kidney Cancer and the Challenges Patients Face

Looking back on March 2025, it is important to recognize Kidney Cancer Awareness Month. The awareness month, according to kidneycancer.org, is a time to get involved, as over 600,000 people in the United States live with kidney cancer.

In an interview with CURE, Sid Sadler — a patient advocate and survivor of kidney cancer — sat down to look back on Kidney Cancer Awareness Month, as well as highlighted some unique difficulties that young adults may face after being diagnosed with cancer.

, highlighting challenges patients with kidney cancer may face, as well as what inspired him to become a patient advocate for kidney cancer awareness.

You can catch Sadler’s insights on her experience with kidney cancer, as well as facts and tips, in his 

This is a challenge across the board with cancer. As I've said before, usually when I go into a urologist's office, I'm the youngest person there, and I'm often asked if I'm there for my grandfather or father, not as a patient myself. One of the biggest challenges is the feeling of isolation. Even though we try to do a good job with things like interviews, or other advocates doing interviews and sharing content online — whether it be memes, social media posts or other things — it can still feel isolating.

When you go to that doctor's office, whether it's your oncologist, your urologist or even a [support group], you're usually the youngest person there, especially if you're under 50 or 45. You rarely see two of us in the same room because, honestly, there aren't many of us. That feeling of isolation can be challenging. When you're talking about cancer as a whole and being a young adult, I think about the things that people don't consider, like coordinating with your job, your professional development and time off. Some people don't have the luxury of having a flexible employer, someone who understands that there could be a mild reaction to treatment or that you might need to take a day off. Those are things that people don't necessarily think about, and I think we're trying to do a better job of educating not only other people about that, but also educating doctors.

I love the physicians I have, but I also understand that they don't necessarily think about those minute details in every patient's life. We can't expect a doctor to not only be a brilliant physician with a great bedside manner, but also think about the nitty-gritty things that go on in each of their patients' lives. So, we try to do a better job of talking to doctors and informing them that these factors are part of patient care, not just the medicine, treatment or scans.

It is important to recognize Kidney Cancer Awareness Month as a time to get involved, as more than 600,000 people in the U.S. live with kidney cancer.

Although late-stage kidney cancer generated poor survival rates for over two decades, significant progress is being made in the treatment of the disease.

Breaking Down Kidney Cancer Treatment Advancements and Providing Hope

Although late-stage kidney cancer generated poor survival rates for over two decades, significant progress is being made in the treatment of the disease, according to Sid Sadler, who added that advancements driven by dedicated doctors, researchers and clinical trials have led to improved outcomes.

Sadler, a patient advocate and survivor of kidney cancer, went on to note that while a cure remains uncertain, ongoing research continues to develop, providing hope for patients with this disease. To further discuss this topic and the importance of forward-looking research in kidney cancer, Sadler sat down for an interview with CURE.

In case you missed it, you can also catch Sadler’s insights on takeaways from his experience with kidney cancer, as well as facts and tips, in a 

For kidney cancer, we are just beginning to see progress. For the longest time, for 20-plus years, the survival rate for stage 4 kidney cancer was not great. You can go online and see the numbers. While it's still not the best, we have greatly improved that number thanks to incredible doctors, researchers, scientists, caregivers and patients who have been willing to participate in clinical trials. I believe we are turning a corner in kidney cancer.

I don't like to use the word “cure,” and I don't know when that will be. I'm not a doctor, but I think the key message is that there are doctors, researchers and scientists who dedicate their lives to finding ways to cure this disease. So, if you are diagnosed and are listening to or reading this, it's not hopeless. There are many researchers, doctors, and institutions looking for a cure and have found very effective treatments, and even, dare I say, vaccines to treat patients.

On the advocacy side, if people are interested in getting involved, I say, do it. As I mentioned earlier, advocacy work isn't just online or social media or what I'm doing here. It can be many different things. It can be talking to people in your community, talking to another patient, or simply donating your time or money to an organization. Advocacy work has many avenues, so get involved if you're interested.

Sid Salder

A Kidney Cancer Advocate Shares Advice for Newly Diagnosed Patients

Raising Awareness for Kidney Cancer and the Challenges Patients Face

Breaking Down Kidney Cancer Treatment Advancements and Providing Hope

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