March Is Kidney Cancer Awareness Month: Here's What You Need To Know

During the month of kidney awareness, let us all get to know the disease in detail to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Being aware of the condition will also help in identifying the symptoms at an early stage and getting timely, effective treatment.

WHAT IS KIDNEY CANCER?

It is a type of cancer that affects the normal functioning of the kidney when abnormal cells start growing and dividing in an unproportionate manner forming tumors. It is also known as renal cancer, and it’s the third most commonly occurring genitourinary cancer. It generally affects individuals above 40 years and is more predominant in men than women.

WHAT ARE ITS TYPES?

Renal cell carcinoma is a common type of kidney cancer that affects adults. It develops in the proximal renal tubes that help in the filtration process of the body. The other types are the transitional cell carcinoma that develops in the middle of the kidney and sarcoma that develops in the soft tissues of the organ.

Wilms tumor is a type of kidney cancer that develops in children and is treated differently from the adult type of kidney cancers.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

The initial stages of kidney cancer show no signs. As the tumor grows in size, the below symptoms can be noticed:

• Blood in the urine
• Pain in the lower back or sides
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue
• Anemia

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES?

The exact cause of renal cancer is not known. But factors like smoking, obesity, increasing age, High blood pressure, treatment for kidney failure, and family history increase the risk of developing the condition among individuals. 

HOW IS THE CANCER DIAGNOSED?

Kidney Cancer can be diagnosed by health history, physical examination, and a series of tests. The tests include urine analysis, blood test, intravenous pyelogram(kind of X-ray), ultrasound, MRI, CT, renal arteriogram, and biopsy.

WHAT ARE THE TREATMENT OPTIONS?

The treatment options depend on various factors like cancer stage, the spread of cancer, the kind of cancer, and the general health of the individual. Surgery is the primary treatment to remove the tumor and preserve the normal functioning of the kidney. There are two types of surgery, namely: nephrectomy that removes the entire kidney and partial nephrectomy that removes the tumor along with the partial kidney tissue.

The other noninvasive methods used to destroy the tumor are cryotherapy ( freezing tumor), radiofrequency ablation(heating tumor), arterial embolization (blocking the blood flow to the tumor). The other known methods are radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy.

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Blog Reviewed By: Dr.Muthu Veeramani 
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