Our Kidney Cancer Specialists
Kidney Cancer
Our kidneys’ main job is to filter our blood. Sometimes we develop masses (growths or tumors) inside our kidneys. Some of these growths are cancerous but many are not. You must have your mass checked out to learn if it is cancerous or not.
There are many different options for treatment. Often there are even more choices if your cancer is found early. Your medical team is there to help you. They can help you learn more about the pros and cons of treatments. Here we share more about kidney cancer and the steps you can take if a mass forms in your body.
What is the Purpose of our Kidneys?
Our kidneys serve many purposes, but they mainly do the following:
- Detoxify (clean) our blood
- Balance fluids
- Maintain electrolyte levels (e .g ., sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, acid)
- Remove waste (as urine)
- Make hormones that help keep our blood pressure stable, make red blood cells and keep our bones strong
What is a Kidney Mass?
A tumor, or mass, is an abnormal growth in the body. A kidney mass, or tumor, is an abnormal growth in the kidney. Some kidney masses are benign (not cancerous) and some are malignant (cancerous).
One in four kidney masses are benign. Smaller masses are more likely to be benign. Larger masses are more likely to be cancerous. Some tumors may grow slowly while some can be faster growing – or more aggressive. Aggressive tumors may form, grow and spread very quickly.
Most kidney growths (about 40%) are small, localized masses. Localized means that the tumor has not spread – from where it first started. The main classes of tumors are:
- Renal cell carcinomas (RCC). These are the most common malignant kidney tumors. They are found in main substance of the kidney, where the filtering occurs. RCC may form as a single tumor within a kidney or as two or more tumors in one kidney.
- Benign kidney tumors. About 20% of tumors removed from kidneys are benign. There are about nine named tumors in this class. Some can grow quite large but they are almost always non-cancerous and do not spread to other organs.
- Wilms tumors. Wilms tumors almost always occur in children and are rarely found in adults.
Basic Facts about Kidney Cancer
Kidney cancer is one of the top 10 most common cancers in the United States, with more than 76,000 new cases diagnosed each year. More men than women are diagnosed with kidney cancer. Kidney cancer can be seen in anyone but is more common in African Americans, American Indians and Alaskan Native people. You can get kidney cancer at any age but it is more common in older people (those greater than 75 years old). The earlier kidney cancer is diagnosed—the better your chances of survival.
What Causes Kidney Masses?
There is no known cause for developing a kidney mass. But there are a number of things that can increase your risk for kidney tumors such as:
- Smoking
- Obesity, poor diet
- High blood pressure
- Being on kidney dialysis
- Workplace exposure to chlorinated chemicals
- Heredity, which accounts for about 4-6% of kidney cancer cases
What are the Symptoms of a Kidney Mass?
Most kidney masses have no symptoms in the early stages. If there are symptoms, they will most likely be:
- Hematuria (blood in urine)
- Flank pain between the ribs and hips
- Low back pain on one side (not caused by injury) that does not go away
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss not caused by dieting
- Fever that is not caused by an infection and does not go away
- Anemia (low red blood cell count)
Symptoms
Most kidney masses have no symptoms in the early stages. If there are symptoms, they will most likely be:
- Hematuria (blood in urine)
- Flank pain between the ribs and hips
- Low back pain on one side (not caused by injury) that does not go away
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss not caused by dieting
- Fever that is not caused by an infection and does not go away
- Anemia (low red blood cell count)
Testing and Treatment
There are no blood or urine tests that directly detect the presence of kidney tumors. Instead, when a kidney tumor is suspected, your doctor will order an ultrasound, CT scan or MRI of the abdomen. Additional imaging studies can be used to determine the cancer’s stage and grade.
When the tumor appears confined to the kidney (a “localized” tumor), there are two main treatment options.
- Surgery: A radical nephrectomy involves the urologist removing the entire kidney, adrenal gland and surrounding tissue. A partial nephrectomy removes only the tumor in the kidney along with some surrounding tissue in order to preserve as much normal kidney tissue as possible. This procedure is used for tumors smaller than 4 cm and are located in certain parts of the kidney. Radical and partial nephrectomies can be preformed through a traditional “open” surgical incision or using minimally-invasive techniques including laparoscopic and robotic surgery.
- Tumor ablation: destroys the tumor without surgically removing it. This can be accomplished by freezing the tumor (cryotherapy) or using high energy waves (radiofrequency ablation) to destroy the tumor. Ablation can be accomplished during open surgery, laparoscopy or percutaneously (through the skin).
Kidney cancer that has spread to other parts of the body or has recurred may not be curable, but it may be controlled with the following therapies.
- Surgery: to remove as much as the tumor as possible
- Immunotherapy: Drugs that stimulate your immune system to fight the cancer
- Targeted therapy: Drugs taken orally or orally or intravenously to block signals the tumor send that drive the cancer’s growth
- Radiation Therapy: to control or reduce symptoms of kidney cancer that has spread to other areas of the body
Frequently Asked Questions
Renal cell carcinoma usually grows as a single tumor within one kidney. Sometimes both kidneys develop tumors at the same time.
A kidney transplant is not a treatment option for kidney cancer. Most people have two kidneys and can function normally with one healthy kidney or even a portion of one kidney. Dialysis is rarely necessary.
Traditional chemotherapy does not treat kidney cancer. This is because the cancer has developed mechanisms to prevent the effectiveness of the chemotherapy. However, targeted therapies can be helpful. These treatments are directed at blocking growth factors for the tumor.
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