|
Kidney cancer |
Details
|
Kidney cancer, also called hypernephroma, renal cell carcinoma, or adenocarcinoma of the kidney occurs in about 2% of cancers in adults, affecting 1/5 times more men than women. Usually, kidney cysts (fluid-filled growth) are not cancerous, while most solid kidney tumors turn to be cancerous. The most common symptom of the cancer of the kidney is blood in the urine, but the level of blood can be so small that it may be found only under a microscope. In other cases, the urine can be visibly red. Another common symptom is a pain in the side and fever. In rare cases a tumor of kidney may be found, when a physician can feel a lump in the abdomen or enlargement; or a tumor can be found unexpectedly during check-up of another medical problem, such as high pressure in blood. Blood pressure may become higher because an inadequate blood supply to all or part of the kidney, causing release of chemical messengers that rise blood pressure. The red blood cell count can also become significantly high, causing Secondary Polycythemia. If kidney cancer is discovered, such tests as ultrasound scanning, CT (computed tomography), MRI, and Urography can be performed to collect more information about severity of spreading of tumor into nearby organs, including veins.
If a tumor is a hollow cyst, fluid can be extracted with a needle for testing. Such procedures like renal arthery angiography and aortography can be done before the surgery to get more information about the cancer(tumor) and the artheries, which supply it. When the kidney cancer does not spread beyond the kidney, the cure consists of removing surgically damaged kidney and lymph nodes. If the tumor has spread into the renal vein and the Vena Cava, (the large vein, which carry blood to the heart), but did not spread to furthure organs, surgery can still be helpful. In some patients, kidney cancer spreads early, mostly to the lungs. When it spreads to distant organs, the prognosis of the treatment is very poor, and it may not be treated by chemotherapy, hormones, or radiation. Curing the tumor by enhancing the ability of immune system to destroy it, results in certain tumors to shrink while prolonging survival in some patients. The treatment like interleukin-2, is indicated for cure of tumors of kidneys, while different combinations of interleukin-2 with other biologic substances are under study. In very rare cases (less than 1% of people), removing the damaged kidney results in tumors in other parts of body and such regression in itself is not a reason to remove a kidney, which is cancerous in people where the cancer has already spread.
|
| Category |
Disease Conditions > K
|
| Related Searches |
kidney cancer stages, cancer in kidney, kidney cancer statistics |
| Date Submitted |
16-Oct-2005
|
|
