Kidney cancer

Kidney cancer (scientifically also known as 'renal cell cancer' and sometimes also 'renal adenocarcinoma' or 'renal cell carcinoma' or 'hypernephroma') appears when abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells takes place in kidney. The main job of kidney is to filter blood and rid your body of excess water, salt, and waste products. It also helps to make sure that the body has enough red blood cells. But as the cancerous cell grows and forms into a tumor within the kidney, it damages the kidney that may create crucial condition for health and it often becomes life threatening. It does not affect the kidney only rather malignant tumor invades nearby tissues and organs such as the muscles around the spine, the liver, the nearby large blood vessels, bone and spread sometimes from one kidney to the other. The most common type of kidney cancer in adult is renal cell carcinoma, which begins in the cells that line the small tubes within kidneys whereas 'Wilms' tumor are more likely develops in children.

The causes which may increase the risk and threat of kidney cancer are- people over the age of 60, smoking or consuming some of the chemicals from tobacco or chemical carcinogens, unusual obesity, long term dialysis and sometimes genetic factors. Symptoms rarely occur in the early stages of kidney cancer. Symptoms that occurs in later stage of kidney cancer are- back pain just below the ribs, Blood in urine which appears in pink, red or cola-colored, weight loss, fatigue, hypertension, intermittent fever and sweats, pain or discomfort in the side or back of the abdomen, swelling in the area over a kidney, anemia, which can cause tiredness and high blood pressure.

Usually kidney cancer is of three types which are- renal cell carcinoma, transitional cell carcinoma and wilms' tumor. The first one (renal cell carcinoma) is an aggressive tumor which has invasion and spreading power whereas transitional cell carcinoma develops in the renal pelvis and wilms' tumor (also called as nephroblastoma) usually occurs in the children in the age of 3 to 5.

An oncologist or surgeon starts treatment after the diagnosis of the disease. Some major diagnosis procedures are MRI scan; CT scan, Blood and urine tests. The types of treatment recommended by the doctor depend largely on stage of the development of the cancer. It has been considered that surgery is the most suitable treatment method of kidney cancer. Surgical procedure includes removing the affected kidney (nephrectomy), removing the tumor from affected kidney. Sometimes cryoablation is performed in kidney cancer treatment in which one or more special needles are inserted through the small incision in skin and into the tumor. This procedure is performed to freeze the cancerous cells. Some other treatment procedures are radiotherapy (high energy beams of radiation which are focused on cancerous tissue), arterial embolisation (to block off the blood vessel (artery) which is delivering a kidney tumor) and immunotherapy or biological therapy (using of drugs to stimulate the immune system to attack cancerous cells).

Ultimately, treatment offers a comfortable condition to the patient that provides a healthy living to carry normal human life.