80s Rockstar Mark Kendall, 68, Says His Tumor Is Shrinking While Going Public With His Advanced Kidney Cancer Diagnosis

“The tumor has shrunk from 13 centimeters to eight, so I’m going in the right direction with my first scan,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

Kidney cancer affects tens of thousands of Americans each year—an estimated 81,610 new cases are expected in 2025, according to the National Cancer Institute. The disease can develop in both adults and children, and early symptoms are often subtle or absent. Common signs may include blood in the urine, fatigue, weight loss, persistent fever, and lower back pain on one side.

Kendall explained that he is currently undergoing immunotherapy, a treatment that harnesses reengineered immune cells to fight cancer. He noted that he has required only three radiation sessions so far.

“I’m going to fight this thing and be okay,” Kendall added. “People in my support group were diagnosed with my exact issue up to 20 years ago, so that is encouraging.”

Supportive fans chimed in with words of encouragement as the popular guitarist had hoped for.

 

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A post shared by Mark Kendall Official (@mr._greatwhite)

“I’m a stage 4 colon cancer survivor, be strong every day, Mark, you’ve got this,” Facebook user Mark Nicholson wrote.

Facebook user Patricia Couture said, “I heard good things about immunotherapy. Sending love, strength, prayers, and positive healing energy to you, Mark.”

Couture adds that her mom is also a stage 4 cancer survivor who is 91 years old this year.

Kidney Cancer Symptoms and Treatment

In the early stages, kidney cancer may not cause noticeable symptoms. However, what a patient experiences can differ widely depending on the tumor’s type, size, and location. Below are some potential symptoms and side effects that individuals with kidney cancer might encounter:

• Blood in the urine
• Lower back pain on one side
• Tiredness and fatigue
• Weight loss
• Reduced appetite
• Lumps or growths on the lower back or the side
• High temperature and fever that doesn’t seem to go away
• Anemia: low counts of red blood cells

Surgery is often the primary approach for treating kidney tumors, with the goal of fully removing the cancer. However, this option is typically considered when the tumor is still localized—meaning it’s a manageable size and hasn’t spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body. There are several types of surgical procedures used to treat kidney cancer, including:

• Radical nephrectomy
• Partial nephrectomy
• Cytoreductive nephrectomy
• Laparoscopic and robotic surgery
• Mastectomy

Treatment Options for Kidney Cancer: What You Should Know

Kidney cancer can be treated through a range of approaches—each designed to target cancer cells in different ways. Your care team will help determine the best path forward based on your diagnosis, overall health, and personal preferences. Here’s a breakdown of key treatment options:

• Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA): This minimally invasive procedure uses a needle inserted directly into the tumor. Electric currents and radiofrequency waves heat and destroy the cancerous tissue from within.
• Cryoablation: In this technique, extremely cold probes are placed into the tumor to freeze and kill cancer cells. It’s often used for small tumors or patients who aren’t candidates for surgery.
• Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy uses powerful medications to stop cancer cells from growing, dividing, or surviving. While kidney cancer is often resistant to traditional chemotherapy, certain drugs may be used in specific cases or in combination with other therapies.
• Radiation Therapy: High-energy particles or waves are used to damage and destroy cancer cells. The two main types are:
  External Beam Radiation: Delivered from outside the body, targeting the tumor with precision.
  Internal Radiation (Brachytherapy): Places radioactive material directly inside or near the tumor.
• Immunotherapy: This innovative approach activates your immune system to better detect and attack cancer cells. Treatments like immune checkpoint inhibitors help the body overcome cancer’s defenses and mount a stronger response.
• Targeted Therapy: These drugs zero in on specific genes or proteins that fuel cancer growth. One notable example is belzutifan (Welireg), approved by the FDA in August 2021 for patients with Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease-related kidney cancers. Belzutifan blocks a protein called HIF-2α, which normally supplies oxygen and nutrients to cancer cells—cutting off this pathway can shrink tumors significantly.
• Combination Therapy: In many cases, doctors may recommend a blend of treatments—such as immunotherapy paired with targeted therapy—to increase effectiveness and tailor care to your unique needs.

Immunotherapy: Breakthroughs, Challenges, and Patient Impact

Immunotherapy has transformed cancer care, proving effective across several types of the disease. Yet it doesn’t work for everyone—a reality that weighs heavily on experts like Dr. Steven Rosenberg, Chief of Surgery at the National Cancer Institute.

“What keeps me up at night are not the patients we’ve helped, but those we haven’t,” he says.

WATCH: Side Effects from Immunotherapy Can be Managed

Dr. Rosenberg’s team has developed innovative methods to genetically modify a patient’s own immune cells so they can recognize cancer in new ways and destroy it. These advances have led to major breakthroughs.

Immunotherapy drugs work by preventing cancer cells from hiding from the immune system, allowing white blood cells to properly identify and attack them. While cancer cells themselves are not inherently difficult to fight, their rapid division makes them a formidable foe. By unmasking the disease, immunotherapy empowers the body’s own defenses to keep cancer under control before it spreads.

Still, the treatment comes with risks. Side effects can be severe, and patients are urged to report any unusual symptoms promptly. Those receiving multiple immunotherapy drugs—known as combination therapy—face an increased likelihood of complications.

Dr. Anna Pavlick, medical oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, explains: “Some patients will experience diarrhea, which we can usually manage with supportive treatments over a few days. But others may develop colitis, an inflammation of the colon, requiring intravenous medications. In those cases, we have to stop the immunotherapy altogether.”

Common Immunotherapy side effects include:

• Fatigue
• Nausea or stomach discomfort
• Joint pain
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Cough
• Rash
• Loss of appetite
• Changes in blood cell counts
• Fever

More severe adverse reactions include:

• Pancreatitis: Inflammation of the pancreas
• Colitis: Inflammation of the large intestine
• Pneumonitis: Inflammation of the lungs
• Hepatitis: Inflammation of the liver
• Thyroiditis: Inflammation of the thyroid gland

Questions For Your Doctor

Patients diagnosed with kidney cancer and still have lingering questions about their next steps or what treatments to consider may consider the following questions to ask their doctor.

• What are the most effective treatment choices for my stage of kidney cancer, and how do they compare in terms of outcomes and side effects?
• Am I a candidate for immunotherapy or targeted therapies, and how might these affect my prognosis?
• What side effects should I expect from my treatment plan, and what strategies are available to manage them?
• How will we track whether my treatment is working, and how often will I need scans or blood tests?
• What resources—such as nutrition guidance, mental health support, or survivorship programs—are available to help me maintain quality of life during treatment?

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