Kidney cancer is when abnormal cell growth leads to a tumor being formed on one of the kidneys in the body. Kidney cancer can potentially spread to other parts of the body. If an adult gets kidney cancer, they most likely will get renal cell carcinoma. It’s the most common form and accounts for around 90% of kidney cancer scenarios. Kidney cancer is being better diagnosed and is helping to allow for earlier diagnosis and better treatment.
Kidney Cancer Risk Factors
As of now, there’s no known cause for kidney cancer. However, there are many risk factors which will increase the chance that a person will contract kidney cancer in one form or another. One of the most common risk factors is age. As people get older, it’s more likely that they will end up getting kidney cancer.
There are certain lifestyle risk factors which can be involved as well. People who smoke find themselves at a higher risk of kidney cancer. This is unsurprising, as smoking increases the risks of a lot of cancers. People who don’t exercise or eat correctly can become obese. Obesity also increases the chances of kidney cancer.
Other health conditions can also play a role. People who have undergone kidney failure and are on long term dialysis will be at risk. Hypertension also increases the chances. There’s also many inherited diseases and syndromes which can increase the risk of kidney cancer. This includes diseases like von Hippel-Lindau Disease. Other diseases that can increase the risk include Birth-Hogg-Dube syndrome, hereditary papillary renal cell carcinoma and others.
Signs and Symptoms of Kidney Cancer
The early stages of kidney cancer lack many symptoms. Symptoms for kidney cancer tend to occur during late stage kidney cancer, making it all the more important to get a diagnosis as early as possible. Unfortunately, there are no easy and early test that can be performed to detect kidney cancers. Signs to look out for include:
- Red, Brown or Pink Urine due to Blood Within
- Unexpected Weight Loss
- Loss of Appetite
- Consistent Back or Side Pain
- Fatigue
- Intermittent Fevers
If people are having any of these symptoms, they should proceed to see their doctor as quickly as possible.
Treating Kidney Cancer
After someone has been diagnosed with kidney cancer, treatment will need to begin. Since kidney cancer is often detected at the later stages, it’s very common for surgery to be the only options. Kidney cancer has four different stages with Stage 1 being the least severe, and Stage IV being the most severe with the cancer having spread to other parts of the body including potentially the lungs.
There’s two many surgical options. The first one is called a nephrectomy. In these cases, the entire kidney has to be removed from the body. In fact, often nearby tissue is removed as well. The other option is called a partial nephrectomy. In these cases, the tumor is removed, as well as a little buffer area of the kidney. This is more likely possible when the tumor is rather small. In these cases, the kidney can be preserved and still complete the functions that are required of it.