Provided herein are methods for determining the efficacy of treatment for polycystic kidney disease (PKD) in a patient, diagnosing PKD in a patient, staging PKD in a patient, and monitoring PKD in a patient. These methods include determining a single or multiple levels of one or more markers selected from the group of Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA), cyclin D1, cyclin D3, MAPKERK kinase 1 (MEK), ribosomal protein S6 (S6), phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6 (pS6), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK), protein kinase B (Akt), phosphorylated protein kinase B (pAkt), caspase-2, total S6, and retinoblastoma binding protein (RBBP). Also provided are kits that include at least three antibodies that specifically bind to one or more of these markers.