Symptoms of Kidney Cancer: A Guide to Early Detection

What is kidney cancer?

Kidney cancer is a type of cancer where there is an abnormal growth of cells in the kidney tissue. In time, these cancer cells form a mass called a tumor in the kidney. The cancer often begins when something triggers a change in the cells, which makes them multiply and divide out of control. 

The two primary types are

Renal cell carcinoma:

This is the most common type of cancer, accounting for 80% of all cancer cases in the kidney. 

Urothelial carcinoma:

This type of cancer originates in the urothelial cells, which line the urinary tract, including the urinary bladder, ureters, and urethra.

When a cancerous or malignant tumor starts to spread to other parts of the body, tissues, and organs, it's called metastatic kidney cancer. This is an advanced stage of cancer.

How can kidney cancer be detected early?

In the majority of cases, cancer formed in the kidney is not diagnosed until it reaches its advanced stage. This usually happens when cancer starts to grow without causing any serious or noticeable symptoms. It’s often difficult to detect the initial stages or small kidney tumors during the physical examination. 

However, a urine analysis can most of the time detect traces of blood's presence in the urine, which is often considered the major symptom of cancer in the kidney. If you are someone who is at high risk of developing this cancer, regularly performing a urine analysis is crucial.

Treatments

The treatment of this cancer majorly depends on the stage and growth of the tumor, along with individual medical conditions, age, and gender. The treatment approaches include surgery, ablation, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and, in some cases, chemotherapy.

Surgery:

Cancer surgery is a treatment approach used for most cases of cancer in the kidney. There are several surgical options used to treat this kind of cancer. These may include:

• Partial nephrectomy: In this surgical procedure, the surgeon might remove the part of your kidney that contains the tumor.
• Radical nephrectomy: In this procedure, your surgeon might remove the entire kidney and some sort of tissue around it. They might also remove some lymph nodes in that area.

If any patient’s one kidney gets removed, then the remaining kidney is usually able to perform the function of both kidneys. 

Ablation: 

This is an alternative surgery used for the treatment of this cancer. During this therapy, the doctor might insert a needle-shaped device through your skin to the kidney. This device would send hot or cold waves to destroy the cancer cells. This therapy destroys the abnormal cells (ablates). This therapy often leads to the cancer cells' death. However, it won’t harm any healthy cells.

Radiation therapy:

Radiation therapy is often recommended for patients when they have only one kidney that is functional or surgery can’t be performed on those patients. Radiation therapy is most commonly used to reduce the pain or discomfort in patients.

Targeted Drug therapy:

The targeted drug therapy usually blocks the certain features that help cancer cells grow. For example, these drugs mostly stop the growth of new blood vessels or proteins that feed cancer.

Immunotherapy:

Immunotherapy is another treatment approach used to boost the patient’s immune system. In turn, this treatment often helps your body to recognize and destroy cancer cells more effectively than ever. Immunotherapy can sometimes be given as a standalone treatment or performed along with the surgery.

Chemotherapy: 

Chemotherapy is mostly used to treat cancer in the kidneys. However, this is not the standard treatment approach used for the cure of this type of cancer. Chemotherapy is often performed after immunotherapy and targeted drug therapy. These medications are taken through the mouth or vein (intravenously) and are mostly well tolerated by the patients.

Consult Today

Being diagnosed with kidney cancer can be scary and often overwhelming. Like many cancer diseases, early detection is more effective when it's diagnosed in the initial stages. Early diagnosis generally leads to effective treatment and improved recovery outcomes. An effective diagnosis of these cancers is mostly identified through some symptoms of cancer in the kidneys.

At Oncare, we understand the importance of early cancer diagnosis; that’s why we offer many cancer detection tests and cancer treatment in affordable price ranges. If you or any loved ones of yours are diagnosed with this type of cancer or seeking any guidance regarding your cancer treatments, then visit Oncare’s Cancer Center and book an appointment with our cancer specialists today. Get an estimated cost of your cancer treatment now!