Kidney Cancer
What is Kidney Cancer?
The two kidneys lie at the back of the tummy, next to the spine. Kidneys form urine that contains some of the toxins produced by the body. The urine drains from the kidneys into ureters and then into the bladder. From the bladder, urine is passed out of the body. The cells that make up the kidney can become cancerous.
How common is Kidney Cancer?
Kidney cancer accounts for less than one percent of all cancers. It is more common in men than in women and mainly detected in middle-aged persons.
Symptoms and Signs of Kidney Cancer
A doctor should be seen if urine has blood in it. A lump may also appear in one side of the tummy associated with pain or discomfort. There may also be weight loss or fever.
Diagnostic Tests
If kidney cancer is suspected, a computer scan is done to look at the kidneys in detail. This will confirm the diagnosis in most patients. In doubtful cases, other diagnostic tests, such as studying the blood supply of the tumour (angiogram) or removing a small piece of tissue from the tumour to look at under a microscope, may be needed.
Treatment of Kidney Cancer
Surgery is recommended for early kidney cancer. Removal of one or part of one kidney is known as nephrectomy. A person can live a normal lifespan with only one kidney if the other kidney is normal.
Sometimes radiation therapy is given. High-energy rays are focused onto the kidney cancer to relieve pain when the cancer is advanced and cannot be removed surgically. Another use for radiotherapy to the kidney cancer is to stop bleeding from the cancer. Immunotherapy is the use of chemicals or proteins to boost the body's immune system. This treatment has been used in advanced kidney cancer with occasional good results. It is not a cure but can prolong the life of a person with advanced kidney cancer. However, it is associated with severe side effects such as breathlessness, drop in the blood pressure, fever, and generalized body aches.
Prognosis of Kidney Cancer
Clinical examinations, x-rays and pathology reports all help the medical team decide what the progress of an individual case of Kidney Cancer may be. Then, the appropriate course of treatment will be put into action. The treatment strategy will vary from person to person. With prompt and appropriate treatment, the outlook for a person with Kidney Cancer is reasonable.
Frequently Asked Questions about Kidney Cancer
1. I have been diagnosed to have advanced kidney cancer. I have read about spontaneous remissions. What does that mean?
Occasionally, patients with advanced kidney cancer involving the lungs, have temporary disappearance of the kidney cancer in the lungs. After a while, the cancer returns. The reason for this is unknown.
2. My mother has advanced kidney cancer and she is not fit for surgery. Her urine is always heavily bloodstained. What can be done to stop the bleeding?
Radiotherapy to the kidney cancer may be able to stop the bleeding. Bleeding may also be stopped by embolisation. During this procedure, a thin tube is inserted through blood vessels in the groin and threaded up to the kidney cancer that is bleeding. A gelling agent is injected into the blood vessel that supplies the cancer. This stops bleeding in most patients.
3. I have bloodstained urine periodically. Although I have seen a doctor on many occasions, only antibiotics have been prescribed. What more can be done?
There are many causes of bloodstained urine. There could be infection, stone disease or cancer of any part of the urinary tract. Let your doctor know about your concerns regarding cancer. Many tests are available to look for cancer or stone disease.
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