Kidney Cancer
Kidney cancer, additionally known as renal cancer, is a sort of cancer that starts in the kidneys. The kidneys are responsible for filtering waste and extra fluids from the blood, and kidney cancer generally develops in the cells that line the tiny tubes within the kidney (renal mobile carcinoma, RCC being the maximum common kind).
Types of Kidney Cancer
- Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC): The most common form, accounting for around 90% of kidney cancers.
- Urothelial Carcinoma (Transitional Cell Carcinoma): This happens in the renal pelvis (the place where urine gathers before going to the bladder).
- Wilms Tumor: A kind of kidney cancer that frequently affects youngsters.
- Other types: Chromophobe carcinoma, papillary carcinoma, and clear cell carcinoma are less frequent variations.
Signs and Symptoms
In the early stages, the majority of patients show no symptoms at all. There is another reason why kidney cancer is usually found by accident during an abdominal (belly) imaging exam. As the tumor enlarges, you can encounter:
- Blood in the urine
- Lower back pain
- A bulge along the side of the waist or in the lower back
- Fatigue
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fever
- Anemia (low red blood cell count)
Kidney Cancer Risk Factors
Anything that raises the chance of getting sick is a risk factor. Certain risk factors, like smoking, may be changed, while others, like your gender or family history, cannot. Although it increases your odds, having one or more risk factors does not ensure that you will get kidney cancer.
Risk factors for kidney cancer include:
- Obesity (being overweight) and smoking
- Too high blood pressure
- Gender: Kidney cancer affects around twice as many males as women.
- Having severe chronic renal disease and receiving dialysis
- Family members with kidney cancer
- abuse painkillers over time.
- Birt Hogge Dube syndrome, von Hippel-Lindau disease, and other uncommon genetic illnesses
- History of chronic exposure to cadmium or asbestos
Treatment Option :
- Surgery: Removing the tumor or, in certain situations, the entire kidney (nephrectomy) is the most frequent therapy for kidney cancer.
- Ablation therapy: Techniques such as cryoablation or radiofrequency ablation can kill cancer cells in smaller tumors.
- Targeted therapy: Drugs that target certain chemicals involved in the development of cancer cells are known as targeted therapies.
- Immunotherapy: Strengthens the body's defenses against cancer.
- Chemotherapy: Although less frequently used, chemotherapy could be a possibility in some situations.
- Radiation therapy: Radiation treatment is occasionally used for palliative care or in situations when surgery is not an option.
Prevention and Lifestyle of Kidney Cancer
- Avoid smoking.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Manage blood pressure.
- Stay hydrated and eat a balanced diet.
- Regular check-ups if there is a family history of kidney cancer.
