Kidneys are bean-shaped pair of organs located on the either side of the spine in the lower abdomen. They form a part of the urinary tract. The major functions of the kidneys are to clean the blood, and remove waste products and extra water in the form of urine.
Kidney cancer or renal cancer is a disease of the kidney cells that may form benign or malignant tumor. Renal cell carcinoma is the most common kidney cancer in adults, and it affects the tiny tubes of the kidneys. Men are more predisposed to kidney cancer than women and it appears mostly at the age of 50 to 70.
The exact cause of kidney cancer is unknown. There are certain factors that may increase the risk of kidney cancer. These include:
Sometimes occupational exposure to certain substances and chemicals may also increase the risk of kidney cancer.
The symptoms of the kidney cancer include:
Other symptoms such as excessive hair growth in females, pale skin and vision problems may also develop. If the cancer spreads to the other parts of the body, it may be characterized by symptoms such as coughing up blood, shortness of breath, and bone pain.
When you present with the symptoms of kidney cancer, your doctor will perform a thorough physical examination to determine the general health of your body and check for the presence of any mass or swelling in the abdomen.
Other tests, such as blood, urine test or intravenous pyelogram (IVP), may be ordered to investigate the presence of abnormalities in the kidneys. Advanced imaging tests such as MRI, CT scan or ultrasound of the abdomen and kidney may be performed to visualize any tumor or abnormality.
Your doctor may also order a biopsy, bone scan and chest X-ray to determine the spread of the malignancy of the tumor.
From the diagnostic tests, your doctor will be able to determine the stage of the kidney cancer. The severity of kidney cancer is characterized into 4 stages:
Once your doctor is aware of the stage of your kidney cancer, they will be able to design an appropriate treatment plan to manage the disease.
Surgery is the most recommended treatment for kidney cancer. It may include complete or partial removal of the kidney. During complete removal, your surgeon may also remove a border of healthy tissue and the nearby lymph nodes.
During partial removal, only the tumor is removed along with a small margin of the surrounding healthy tissue.
If surgical treatment is not possible, non-surgical treatment may be performed. This may include:
Radiation therapy, which uses high-frequency rays to reduce or control cancer spread to other parts of the body.