What is Kidney cancer?

Kidney cancer begins in the kidneys, also called as renal cell carcinoma. This cancer is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults.
Children are more likely to develop a kind of kidney cancer known as Wilms’ Tumour.
In many cases, kidney cancer can be detected at an early stage, when the tumour is small and is limited to the kidney.

Symptoms of kidney cancer

Common signs and symptoms a patient may experience due to kidney cancer include:

• pink, red, or cola-colored blood in the urine
• Pain in the back that does not go away
• Unexplained weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Tiredness or fatigability
• Fever-on and off-types

Causes of kidney cancer

There is no known and clear causing factor for renal cell cancer, the most common form of kidney cancer, though there are several risk factors.

Risk factors

Factors that may increase the risk of kidney cancer include:

• Older age: The risk of kidney cancer increases as the age advances.
• Smoking: Smokers are more likely to develop kidney cancer as compared to non-smokers.
• Obesity: Obese or overweight people have a higher risk of kidney cancer than people with an average body weight do.
• High blood pressure (hypertension): High blood pressure enhances the risk of kidney cancer.
• Treatment for kidney failure: Patients who undergo long-term dialysis to treat chronic kidney failure have a greater risk of developing kidney cancer.
• Certain inherited syndromes: Patients born with certain inherited syndromes such as those who have von Hippel-Lindau disease, Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, tuberous sclerosis complex, hereditary papillary renal cell carcinoma, or familial renal cancer are more likely to have the risk of kidney cancer.
• Family history of kidney cancer: If any person had kidney cancer or any other cancer in his/her family, in that case, he/she is more likely to have kidney cancer.
• Exposure to certain substances in the workplace: for example, exposure to cadmium or specific herbicides increases the risk of having kidney cancer.

Diagnosis of Kidney cancer

Tests and procedures done for kidney cancer Diagnosis are:

• Blood and urine tests
• Imaging tests: an ultrasound, a computerized tomography (CT) scan, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to visualize the tumor.
• Biopsy – Removing a sample of kidney tissue

Book an appointment with Oncology experts at Oncoplus Cancer care.

Kidney cancer staging after diagnosis

Once the kidney cancer has been diagnosed, the next step is to define the staging of cancer means to determine the extent of cancer. Stages in Kidney cancer are:

• Stage I: At this stage, the tumor is limited to the kidney, and size can be up to 2 3/4 inches in diameter.
• Stage II: At this stage, the tumor is still limited to the kidney but the size is more than that at stage I.
• Stage III: At this stage, the tumor spreads beyond the kidney to the surrounding tissue and nearby lymph nodes.
• Stage IV: At this stage, cancer extends outside the kidney, to multiple lymph nodes, or to distant parts of the body, such as the bones, lungs, or liver.

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Treatment of Kidney cancer

Like other cancer, kidney cancer treatment depends upon certain factors including the patient’s general health, the type of kidney cancer, and the extent of cancer.

Surgery

Surgery is considered the main treatment for kidney cancer, with the goal of removing the tumor while preserving normal kidney function. Surgical procedures performed to treat kidney cancer may include:

• Nephrectomy: Removing the affected kidney. A complete (radical) nephrectomy involves the removal of the entire kidney, a border of healthy tissue, and nearby tissues such as the lymph nodes, adrenal gland, or other structures.
• Partial Nephrectomy: Removing the tumor from the kidney. In this procedure, the surgeon removes the tumor and a small margin of healthy tissue that surrounds it not the entire kidney. Partial nephrectomy or Kidney-sparing surgery is a common treatment in cases when patients have only one kidney.

Nonsurgical treatments for kidney cancer

In some cases, alternative options are available to kill small tumors without surgery. These options are:

• Cryoablation: Treatment to freeze cancer cells. In this process, a special hollow needle is inserted into the kidney tumor through the patient’s skin using ultrasound or other image guidance. Then cold gas in the needle is used to freeze or cool down the cancer cells.
• Radiofrequency Ablation: Treatment to heat cancer cells. In this procedure, a special probe is inserted into the kidney tumor through the patient’s skin using ultrasound or other imaging to guide the placement of the probe. An electrical current is passed into the cancer cells through the needle, causing the cells to burn or heat up.

Treatments for advanced and recurrent kidney cancer

Kidney cancer that recurs and spreads to other parts of the body may not be curable but may be controlled with some treatment methods. A few such options available at Oncoplus Cancer care are discussed below:

• Surgery to remove as much of the kidney tumor as possible: When surgery cannot remove all cancer, in those few cases it may be helpful to remove as much of cancer as possible.
• Biological therapy/Immunotherapy: Drugs that use your immune system to fight cancer: This uses the patient’s body’s immune system to fight cancer.
• Targeted therapy: Targeted treatments block specific abnormal signals present in kidney cancer cells preventing them from multiplying. These drugs treat kidney cancer that has spread to other areas of the body.
• Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy uses high-powered energy radiations, such as X-rays, to destroy cancer cells.

Consult our Oncology team experts to get an opinion.

Preventive measure for kidney cancer

Taking few essential steps to improve one’s health may help reduce the risk of kidney cancer. To reduce the risk, try to:

• Quit smoking
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Control high blood pressure
• Eat a healthy diet

Book an appointment with the Best Cancer Specialist at Oncoplus Hospital.