It's a hard question to answer. Kidney stones are not as serious as cancer, but in a particular situation they can actually result in a patient's death. The seriousness of kidney stones depends on their location. For instance, someone could have a kidney stone that blocks a urinary tract infection, so bacteria can't get out. If you don't do anything about it, a patient could get fairly sick and even septic or sometimes even pass away. Those patients are considered emergencies and need intervention, but it’s typically not an emergency if a patient has a little stone or stones that are not blocking anything.
 
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If a stone is lodged tightly in your ureter, you could develop high blood pressure or renal injury if it is neglected for months or years.