What is Kidney Cancer?
Kidney or renal cancer is a kind of cancer in which the cells of kidney turn out to be cancerous and grow exponentially and end up creating a tumor. Kidney cancer usually erupts up in the tubule lining of the kidney and is called renal cell carcinoma. The silver lining about kidney cancer is that it is usually detected before it can attack other organs. When the cancer is detected early, the treatment is more fruitful and successful however, the size of the tumor could be quite large.
What are the symptoms of Kidney Cancer?
Symptoms might not be so visible in the early stages, however certain visible symptoms could be:
- Hematuria (blood in pee)
- Anaemia.
- Pain in the side of the body.
- Feeling a mass or lump in the location of kidney.
- Loss of weight & appetite.
- Spike in body temperature.
- Observing certain changes in liver function.
- Enlarged veins or testicles.
What are the types of Kidney Tumors?
Kidney tumors could be classified based on their class:
- RCC (Renal Cell Carcinoma): These are the most commonly found cancerous tumors. They are generally found in the main area of the kidneys where the filtration happens. The mass formed due to RCC could be single one or multiple tumors in a kidney.
- Benign Kidney Tumors: Around 20% tumors found in the kidney are benign or non-cancerous. Irrespective of the fact that they can grow to a large size,they do not spread to other organs.
- Wilms Tumor: Usually found in kids and children.
Who is at risk of Kidney Cancer?
There could be certain risk factors which might increase the risk of kidney cancer, few of which are:
- Smoking: Smoking doubles your risk of kidney cancers compared to non smokers.
- Gender: Kidney cancer is commonly seen in males.
- Obesity: Excess weight can in turn cause certain hormones to be released which can cause cancer.
- Medication: Usage of particular medications for a prolonged period of time can increase the risk of kidney cancer.
- Kidney Disease: Having prolonged kidney disease or are on dialysis for a long time can increase the risk of kidney cancer.
- Family History: Having relatives especially siblings with kidney cancer increases your risk.
- Chemicals: Exposure to chemicals such as benzene or herbicides.
- BP: High blood pressure or the medication used for them can incremental your risk.
How is Kidney Cancer Diagnosed?
A group of tests and diagnostic imaging can help diagnose kidney cancer, such as:
- Blood tests.
- Urine tests.
- X-Ray.
- MRI Scan.
- Biopsy
- PET Scan
How is kidney cancer treated?
Based on the type of tumor and its intensity, the treatment plan could include:
- Surgery.
- Chemotherapy.
- Radiotherapy.
- Cryoablation.
- Radiofrequency Ablation.
- Immunotherapy.
- Targeted Therapy.
Can you prevent it?
There is no fool proof way of knowing if kidney cancer can be prevented. However certain elements can help lower the risk:
- Don’t Smoke.
- Maintain a standard blood pressure level.
- Maintain a healthy body weight.
- Lower your amount of fat intake.