KIDNEY CANCER

Overview

Carcinoma of the kidney affects some 27,000 individuals in the United States each year. Until recently, little attention was paid to the genetics and histology of renal carcinomas. In the past 10 years major advances have been made in the understanding of the genetic basis of human kidney cancer and it’s treatment.

What is a Kidney?

One of a pair of organs in the abdomen. There are 2 kidneys, one on each side of the backbone, above the waist. The kidneys of an adult are about 5 inches long and 3 inches wide and are shaped like a kidney bean. The kidneys clean the blood and produce urine to rid the body of waste. The urine collects in the middle of each kidney in a large cavity called the renal pelvis. Urine drains from each kidney through a long tube called the urethra, into the bladder, where it is stored until it is passed from the body through the urethra. Kidneys also play a role in blood pressure regulation.

What is Kidney Cancer?

Cancer that forms in tissues of the kidneys. Kidney cancer includes renal cell carcinoma (cancer that forms in the lining of very small tubes in the kidney that filter the blood and remove waste products) and renal pelvis carcinoma (cancer that forms in the center of the kidney where urine collects).

Risk Factors

Studies have shown that certain lifestyle or genetic factors increase the risk of developing kidney cancer:

• Cigarette smoking
• High blood pressure
• Diets high in saturated fats
• A family history of kidney cancer
• Obesity and lack of exercise
• Some professions were people are exposed to asbestos or cadmium may increase a risk of getting the disease. 

Symptoms

Kidney cancer usually shows no symptoms in the early stages. When symptoms appear, the tumor may have grown fairly large. The most obvious symptom to recognize is blood in your urine. Other  symptoms may include the following:

• Unusual low back pain
• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Fever that is not due to a cold or flu
• Swelling of the ankles and legs (due to an impaired ability to rid the body of liquid waste)

Although in many cases, these possible kidney cancer symptoms can be attributed to other reasons rather than cancer, for example infection, it is important to see your doctor. It’s essential to determine if these symptoms are the result of kidney cancer or caused by another disease.

Screening

Kidney cancer is less common in the United States than many other cancers, such as those of the breast, lung, or prostate. Therefore apparently healthy people usually don’t have regular examinations for this cancer. However, those people that are at a high risk of a kidney cancer may benefit from screening for early signs of the disease. If the cancer is detected early, before the symptoms have occurred, there are more chances to successfully cure it, commonly by surgery alone.