Kidney cancer symptoms, risk factors and treatment

 

Overview

If you are in your 50s, the chance of you having renal cell carcinoma, a type of Kidney cancer, is 30%. Kidney cancer begins when some kidney cells mutate their DNA. These abnormal changes tell the cells to grow and divide rapidly. These abnormal cells accumulate over time, forming a tumor in the kidney and some of the cancerous cells can spread to different parts of the body.

Symptoms of kidney cancer which you should not ignore–

• Blood in urine

• Lower back pain on one side

• A lump in the abdomen, side or lower back

• Fatigue

• Loss of appetite

• Weight loss

• Recurring fever without cold or flu

• Swollen ankles and legs

Risk Factors

Kidney cancer risk factors -

• Old age

• Smoking

• Obesity

• High blood pressure 

• Long-term dialysis patients have a greater risk of developing kidney cancer.

• Certain inherited syndromes like Von Hippel-Lindau disease, Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, tuberous sclerosis complex, hereditary papillary renal cell carcinoma or familial renal cancer may have an increased risk of kidney cancer.

• Family history of kidney cancer increases risk of you having the disease.

Treatment

The best kidney cancer doctor in Kolkata outlines 5 types of treatment for kidney cancer –

• Surgery

• Radiation therapy

• Chemotherapy

• Immunotherapy

• Targeted therapy

Among these, kidney cancer surgery is the main treatment used. It involves the removal of the entire tumor in the patient’s kidney, and can be performed through variety of procedures like traditional open incision, laparoscopic surgery or robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery.