Kidney Cancer Causes, Symptoms, Risks Factors and More

Kidney cancer or renal carcinoma usually occurs inultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
older people and accounts for about 2 to 3% ofCystoscopy can rule out associated bladder
cancers in adults, affecting about twice as manycancer. Kidney cancer cells may also break away
men as women. In adults, the most commonfrom the original tumor and spread (or
type of kidney tumor is renal cell carcinoma,metastasize) to other parts of the body such as
which begins in the cells that line the small tubesthe lymph nodes, bones or lungs, with about one
within your kidneys. Kidney cancer rarely strikesthird of cases showing metastasis at the time of
children and young adults; the exceptions are adiagnosis.
pediatric kidney cancer called Wilms tumor andTypes of Kidney Cancer
some forms of hereditary kidney cancerAlmost 85% of this tumor are renal cell
syndromes, such as von Hippel-Lindau disease.carcinomas. A less common type of kidney is
Causes of Kidney CancerPapillary carcinoma. Other rare kidney cancers
The causes are not known, however externalinclude: Renal sarcoma, Collecting Duct carcinoma,
factors, such as smoking and obesity, have beenMedullary and Chromophobe carcinomas.
related to a higher incidence of kidney cancer andTreatment
changing environmental factors as well asRadical nephrectomy with or without the removal
population aging has seen an increase in theof lymph nodes offers the only cure but
presentation of this form of cancer.treatment of kidney cancer may include: surgery,
Signs and Symptomsarterial embolization, radiation therapy, biological
Kidney cancer symptoms are often overlookedtherapy or chemotherapy depends upon the
because tumours are usually slow growing andstage of the disease and the patient's overall
not suspected until the patient begins tohealth.
experience symptoms such as blood in the urine,Nephrectomy or removal of the entire organ
pain, tiredness and a palpable mass. Since backincluding the adrenal gland, adjacent lymph nodes
pain is common among people over 40 years ofand surrounding normal tissue has been the norm,
age, such pain is often ignored and the presencebut recent research shows that removal of just
of kidney cancer can go undetected. Kidneythe tumor, produces similar survival rates and
cancer may also cause high blood pressure.offers less chance of subsequent renal failure in
Risk Factorsselected cases.
The risk of developing kidney cancer is four timesScientists have also isolated the gene responsible
higher if a close relative has had kidney cancer.for VHL disease, and this discovery offers
Being on dialysis for many years is a risk factorexciting future possibilities for improved diagnosis
for kidney cancer.and treatment of some kidney cancers. Various
People who have had bladder cancer are morecombinations of interleukin-2, interferon, and other
likely to develop kidney cancer, and vice versa.biologic agents and even vaccines developed from
About three per cent of kidney cancer patientscells removed from the kidney cancer are also
have inherited a damaged gene that will make itbeing investigated.
likely the cancer will also be found in their secondSurvival Rates
kidney.With prompt and appropriate treatment, the
Preventionkidney cancer mortality rate is fairly low,
Not smoking is the most effective way tounfortunately kidney cancer has a tendency to
prevent kidney cancer and it is estimated that thespread early, especially to the lungs, sometimes
elimination of smoking would reduce the rate ofbefore symptoms develop. The five year survival
renal pelvis cancer by one-half and the rate ofrate is around 90-95% for tumors less than 4
renal cell carcinoma by one-third.cm. For larger tumors confined to the kidney
Other factors that may decrease the risk ofwithout venous invasion, survival is still relatively
developing kidney cancer include: maintaining agood at 80-85%. If it has metastasized to the
normal body weight, a diet that is high in fruitslymph nodes, the 5-year survival is around 5 %
and vegetables, especially in bananas and rootto 15 %. If it has spread metastatically to other
vegetables such as carrots, maintaining normalorgans, the 5-year survival rate is less than 5 %.
blood pressure and limited exposure toAn important factor for those with this form of
environmental toxins.cancer and for that matter with all cancers is that
Diagnosing Kidney Cancerassertive patients who actively work to
Cancer of the kidney is most commonly detectedovercome cancer often increase the odds of
with either computed tomography (CT) scan,survival, live longer, and enjoy life more.