The kidneys are crucial for body functionality and overall health. They perform a variety of functions that make them essential, ranging from filtering waste out of the blood and producing red blood cells to controlling blood pressure. Cancer of the kidney, also known as renal cell carcinoma, occurs when cells in the organ become malignant and grow into a tumour.
The causes of kidney cancer are not yet known, but factors such as old age, smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and family history increase your risk of getting kidney cancer. Before we discuss kidney cancer treatment, let's first look at the symptoms.
Signs and Symptoms
- Blood in the urine, seen as either red or pink-coloured urine
- Persistent lower back pain, and some people feel the pain in the flanks
- A sudden loss of appetite usually precedes weight loss
- Extreme fatigue that affects daily activities
- Anemia which may cause worse fatigue, shortness of breath and dizziness
Diagnosis.
Diagnosis usually requires tests and a thorough physical examination. Some of the tests include:
- In a clinical examination, your doctor will check for fever, high blood pressure and other physical signs.
- Intravenous pyelogram (IVP) uses an injected dye travelling through your urinary tract to highlight any tumours
- Ultrasounds use sound-waves to create a picture of your kidneys
- A CT scan uses x-rays and computers to create detailed series of pictures
- A biopsy can also confirm the presence of cancer
Treatment.
Once a diagnosis has been made, it's time to discuss your kidney cancer treatment options.
Surgery is usually the initial step of treatment. The type of surgery you have will depend on how advanced the cancer is;
- Radical nephrectomy is the most common surgery. It removes the affected kidney, adrenal glands and the surrounding tissue.
- Simple nephrectomy removes the kidney only
- Partial nephrectomy is used for smaller tumours (less than 3cm). It's also useful when doctors fear a radial nephrectomy will hurt the other kidney. It removes cancer in the kidney, along with the surrounding tissue.
Your doctor will order alternative treatments if there still remain any cancer cells.
- Cryotherapy kills cancer cells with extreme cold. Chemotherapy uses drugs to stop the growth of the cells and kill them. It's less useful for kidney cancer compared to other cancers.
- Targeted therapy uses anti-angiogenic agents that stop the blood supply to the tumour, thus killing it.
- Radiation therapy is most suitable for patients who can't have surgery. It uses radiation to kill cancer cells or half their growth.
- Radio-frequency ablation uses heat and electrical energy to destroy (cook) the cancer cells.
Conclusion
Kidney cancer is often discovered by accident during its early stages. With the variety of kidney cancer treatments available to you, kidney cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence. Find a doctor if you suspect you have it, to discuss kidney cancer treatments.
