KIDNEY CANCER SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT
Kidney Cancer Symptoms and Treatment
Kidney cancer is a disease of kidneys. Kidneys are the pair of bean shaped organs been located on each of the spinal column in the lower abdomen. In thekidney cancer, cells grow unregulated which tends to regulate the growth of cell and the death, resulting in forming a tumor.
The Kidney performs several important tasks such as filtering the blood and removing the impurities, excess of minerals and salts and the surplus of water. These organs also develop hormones, which aid in controlling the blood pressure, red blood cell production and other functions.
Even though you have two kidneys, but each of the kidneys works independently. Human body can function well with the help of one kidney too! There are several types of kidney cancers such as renal cell carcinomas, transitional cell carcinoma, and wilm’s tumor.
Men are more likely to get affected of kidney cancer, as compared to women. Most of the people who strike these diseases are often over the age of 50’s. Over all about more than 50,000 Americans are diagnosed forkidney cancer every year and still the number is going on increasing day by day.
Symptoms of Kidney Cancer
Kidney cancer is a slow growing cancer, which begins inside the body without any obvious signs and so, often remains undetected. However, it its early stages, kidney cancer do not cause any obvious symptoms. As a kidney tumor grows, cancer symptoms occur. Following are the kidney cancer symptoms, it may include.
1. Blood in urine
2. A lump or a mass in the kidney area
3. A persistent pain in the back, just below the ribs
4. In some cases, mass in the area of kidneys
Other less common symptoms may include.
1. Fatigue
2. Weight loss
3. Fever
4. Poor health
5. Anemia
6. Loss of appetite
The presence of these symptoms does not always indicate that you are having a kidney cancer. However, the same symptoms can also cause due to other diseases or due to some medications. However, if you do find any of the above symptoms, consult your doctor.
Treatments for Kidney Cancer
To plan the best treatment for your kidney cancer, doctors will need to know the stage of your cancer. The stage of cancer is based on the size of the tumor, location of tumor and the health of the patient. Diagnosis of the kidney cancer can be done through ultrasound or CT scan. In some cases, doctors may also use the MRI.
Kidney cancer can be treated with surgery, embolization, hormone therapy, biological therapy, or chemotherapy, and rarely in some cases a radiation therapy.
Surgery
Often, surgery is the most common treatment for kidney cancer. It acts like a local therapy. Surgery treats the cancer in the kidney as well as the area close to the tumor. An operation that is performed to remove the kidney is called as nephrectomy. There are many types of nephrectpomies and their type depends on the stage of the cancer. Following are the different types of surgery, which can be done to treatkidney cancer. It includes.
1. Simple nephrectomy- In this surgery, the surgeon removes only the kidney. This operation is carried on at the first stage of the kidney cancer.
2. Radical nephrectomy- usually, the kidney cancer is treated with a radical nephrectomy. In this surgery, surgeon removes whole kidney along with the adrenal gland and some tissue around the kidney. Lymph nodes from the surrounding area are also been removed.
3. Partial nephrectomy- In this surgery, surgeon removes only the part of kidney, which is affected with tumor. This type of surgery is performed when the person has only one kidney or at the time when the cancer has affected both the kidneys. In addition, people who have only a small kidney tumor can have this type of surgery.
Arterial Embolization
Arterial embolization is a type of local therapy, which shrinks the tumor. In some cases, it is done before the surgery to make the surgery easier. In a case where surgery is not possible, embolization may be used to relieve the symptoms of thekidney cancer.
In this process, doctor inserts a narrow tube into a blood vessel in the leg. Now, the tube is passed up to the main blood vessel, which supplies the blood to the kidney. A substance is injected into the blood vessels to block the flow of blood into the kidney. This blockage prevents the tumor from getting required oxygen and other substance to grow.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is also called as radiotherapy. It uses high-energy cells to kill the kidney cancer cells. Only the treated area of the cancer cells gets affected due to this therapy. A large machine directs a radiation at the body.
Biological Therapy
Biological therapy is a type of a systematic therapy. It uses a substance in the therapy, which travels through the blood stream, reaching and affecting the cells all over the body. Biological therapy uses a natural ability to fight against the cancer.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is also one of the types of the systematic therapy. In this, the anticancer drugs are used to kill the cancer cells.
Hormone Therapy
Progesterone is the hormone, which is most commonly used to treat the kidney cancer. Kidney cancer can be treated with hormones to control the growth of the cancer cells. Some hormones can be taken by mouth; others can be given by injection. This kind of treatment helps when the patient is in the advanced stage ofkidney cancer, especially when the disease has spread to the lungs too.
Kidney cancer is not contagious; however, no one can cause cancer by touching the one who is infected. Kidney cancer is one of the cancers, which is developing at a rapid rate and with a greater risk. One should be very careful, if you find any of the above symptoms, consult your doctor right away for an effective treatment of the kidney cancer.
Kidney cancer is a disease of kidneys. Kidneys are the pair of bean shaped organs been located on each of the spinal column in the lower abdomen. In thekidney cancer, cells grow unregulated which tends to regulate the growth of cell and the death, resulting in forming a tumor.
The Kidney performs several important tasks such as filtering the blood and removing the impurities, excess of minerals and salts and the surplus of water. These organs also develop hormones, which aid in controlling the blood pressure, red blood cell production and other functions.
Even though you have two kidneys, but each of the kidneys works independently. Human body can function well with the help of one kidney too! There are several types of kidney cancers such as renal cell carcinomas, transitional cell carcinoma, and wilm’s tumor.
Men are more likely to get affected of kidney cancer, as compared to women. Most of the people who strike these diseases are often over the age of 50’s. Over all about more than 50,000 Americans are diagnosed forkidney cancer every year and still the number is going on increasing day by day.
Symptoms of Kidney Cancer
Kidney cancer is a slow growing cancer, which begins inside the body without any obvious signs and so, often remains undetected. However, it its early stages, kidney cancer do not cause any obvious symptoms. As a kidney tumor grows, cancer symptoms occur. Following are the kidney cancer symptoms, it may include.
1. Blood in urine
2. A lump or a mass in the kidney area
3. A persistent pain in the back, just below the ribs
4. In some cases, mass in the area of kidneys
Other less common symptoms may include.
1. Fatigue
2. Weight loss
3. Fever
4. Poor health
5. Anemia
6. Loss of appetite
The presence of these symptoms does not always indicate that you are having a kidney cancer. However, the same symptoms can also cause due to other diseases or due to some medications. However, if you do find any of the above symptoms, consult your doctor.
Treatments for Kidney Cancer
To plan the best treatment for your kidney cancer, doctors will need to know the stage of your cancer. The stage of cancer is based on the size of the tumor, location of tumor and the health of the patient. Diagnosis of the kidney cancer can be done through ultrasound or CT scan. In some cases, doctors may also use the MRI.
Kidney cancer can be treated with surgery, embolization, hormone therapy, biological therapy, or chemotherapy, and rarely in some cases a radiation therapy.
Surgery
Often, surgery is the most common treatment for kidney cancer. It acts like a local therapy. Surgery treats the cancer in the kidney as well as the area close to the tumor. An operation that is performed to remove the kidney is called as nephrectomy. There are many types of nephrectpomies and their type depends on the stage of the cancer. Following are the different types of surgery, which can be done to treatkidney cancer. It includes.
1. Simple nephrectomy- In this surgery, the surgeon removes only the kidney. This operation is carried on at the first stage of the kidney cancer.
2. Radical nephrectomy- usually, the kidney cancer is treated with a radical nephrectomy. In this surgery, surgeon removes whole kidney along with the adrenal gland and some tissue around the kidney. Lymph nodes from the surrounding area are also been removed.
3. Partial nephrectomy- In this surgery, surgeon removes only the part of kidney, which is affected with tumor. This type of surgery is performed when the person has only one kidney or at the time when the cancer has affected both the kidneys. In addition, people who have only a small kidney tumor can have this type of surgery.
Arterial Embolization
Arterial embolization is a type of local therapy, which shrinks the tumor. In some cases, it is done before the surgery to make the surgery easier. In a case where surgery is not possible, embolization may be used to relieve the symptoms of thekidney cancer.
In this process, doctor inserts a narrow tube into a blood vessel in the leg. Now, the tube is passed up to the main blood vessel, which supplies the blood to the kidney. A substance is injected into the blood vessels to block the flow of blood into the kidney. This blockage prevents the tumor from getting required oxygen and other substance to grow.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is also called as radiotherapy. It uses high-energy cells to kill the kidney cancer cells. Only the treated area of the cancer cells gets affected due to this therapy. A large machine directs a radiation at the body.
Biological Therapy
Biological therapy is a type of a systematic therapy. It uses a substance in the therapy, which travels through the blood stream, reaching and affecting the cells all over the body. Biological therapy uses a natural ability to fight against the cancer.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is also one of the types of the systematic therapy. In this, the anticancer drugs are used to kill the cancer cells.
Hormone Therapy
Progesterone is the hormone, which is most commonly used to treat the kidney cancer. Kidney cancer can be treated with hormones to control the growth of the cancer cells. Some hormones can be taken by mouth; others can be given by injection. This kind of treatment helps when the patient is in the advanced stage ofkidney cancer, especially when the disease has spread to the lungs too.
Kidney cancer is not contagious; however, no one can cause cancer by touching the one who is infected. Kidney cancer is one of the cancers, which is developing at a rapid rate and with a greater risk. One should be very careful, if you find any of the above symptoms, consult your doctor right away for an effective treatment of the kidney cancer.
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