Kidney Cancer: Frequently Asked Questions
What causes kidney cancer?
Although the exact causes of kidney cancer have not been determined, certain risk factors exist that make a person more prone to the disease. These include smoking, Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, obesity, hemodialysis, a family history of kidney cancer, and certain occupations/workplace conditions. Please see ( Facts About Kidney Cancer
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What is metastatic kidney cancer?
Metastatic kidney cancer is the most advanced form of kidney cancer. It occurs when the cancer has spread from the initial site in the kidney to other parts of the body, most often the lungs, liver and/or bones. Please see Facts About Kidney Cancer for more details.
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Metastatic kidney cancer is kidney cancer that has spread beyond the kidneys to other places in the body.
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What is kidney cancer?
Several types of cancer start in the kidneys. Renal cell carcinoma, the most common type in adults, begins in the renal cortex, the part of the kidney that filters blood and produces urine.
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This is cancer that starts in the kidney. The most common type of kidney cancer is called renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The term renal is derived from the Latin word for kidney. About 90% of all kidney cancers are renal cell carcinomas. The other 10% are made up of transitional cell carcinomas and Wilms’ tumors (found in children).
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Kidney cancer (Renal Cell Carcinoma) is cancer that forms in tissues of the kidneys. These changes lead to uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells which proliferate quickly destroying normal tissue.
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What are the symptoms of kidney cancer?
Often, the first indication of kidney cancer is the presence of blood in the urine. Other symptoms include a lump or mass on the side of the abdomen and weight loss. (See Kidney Cancer Symptoms
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The most common symptom, found in about half of all cases, is blood in the urine. However, only a minority of people with this symptom actually have cancer. In most cases it is caused by a kidney infection or kidney stones. Another quite common symptom is pain in the lower back or a swelling in the kidney area. Fatigue, weight loss, anaemia and sweating, which are the symptoms for many types of cancer, have also been reported.
Source: www.aicr.org.uk
In the early stages, kidney cancer often causes no symptoms. As the cancer grows, symptoms may develop. These are the most common symptoms in people with kidney cancer. Blood in the urine Abdominal or back pain A mass or lump in the abdomen Fatigue , which is a chronic, unexplained tiredness Rapid weight loss without making an effort to lose weight Other symptoms, such as fever with no known cause, leg or ankle swelling , high blood pressure , and pain on either side of the body with no known ...
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How is kidney cancer treated?
In its early stages (see Kidney Cancer Stages ), kidney cancer is usually treated by a surgical procedure called nephrectomy, or removal of the kidney. Once kidney cancer enters stages III and IV, surgery becomes more complicated and additional medical treatment, such as chemotherapy, hormonal therapy or immunotherapy, may be necessary. (Please see kidney cancer treatment
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The main treatment is surgery to remove the affected kidney. We have two kidneys and people can live perfectly well with the one remaining kidney. In a few cases, where the tumour is very small, it is possible to remove only part of the affected organ. If the cancer has spread outside the kidney, the surgeon may remove other tissue. In some cases, when the tumour is too large to remove, the surgeon may block off the blood flow to the tumour, which will cause it to shrink. ...
Source: www.aicr.org.uk
How common is kidney cancer?
There are about 190,000 newcases of kidney cancer each year around the world, which means it accounts for about one in fifty cancers. In the UK and USA it about the tenth most common type of cancer.
Source: www.aicr.org.uk
Kidney cancers account for approximately 2% of all cancers. 11 Lung cancer, in comparison, is the most prevalent form of cancer, accounting for 12% of all cancers. Data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) show that 208,000 cases of all kidney cancer types were reported worldwide in 2002, with more than 102,000 deaths. ...
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How is kidney cancer diagnosed?
The main methods of diagnosis are by X-ray, CAT scan or ultrasound scan. These tests can show if there is a mass in the kidney. Usually, they would be followed by a biopsy: taking a small tissue sample from the mass, by inserting a thin needle. The tissue can be examined to determine if the mass is cancerous or not.
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If you have signs of cancer your abdomen will be examined. A special X-ray called an intravenous pyelogram (IVP) may also be ordered. During this test, a dye containing iodine is injected into your bloodstream. This allows the kidney to be seen more clearly on the X-ray. Ultrasound, which uses sound waves or a special X-ray called a CT or CAT scan, may also be used. CT scan involves injection of the same dye as used in IVPs. ...
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How dangerous is kidney cancer?
Slightly over half of all people diagnosed with kidney cancer will die from the disease. The older the patient, the greater the risk, with only one third of patients over 70 surviving for more than five years after they are diagnosed. Over the last thirty years there has been a slow increase in the number of people dying from kidney cancer.
Source: www.aicr.org.uk
What are the types of kidney cancer?
Renal cell cancer (RCC) is the most common form of kidney cancer and can be cured if the diagnosis and treatment occur early on. [5] RCC accounts for approximately 85 percent of all cases of kidney cancer. In RCC, cancerous cells develop in the lining of the kidney’s tubules and grow into a mass called a tumor. In most cases, a single tumor develops. Renal pelvis cancer is a less common form of kidney cancer but men are at a higher risk of developing it than women. [4] Early diagnosis of kidney cancer is important. ...
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Who gets kidney cancer?
About 51,000 people in the United States are told they have kidney cancer each year. Men get kidney cancer more often than women. It is the seventh most common form of cancer in men. People who smoke have almost twice the risk of getting kidney cancer as nonsmokers. Here are some other risk factors. Von Hippel-Lindau disease Obesity Exposure to workplace chemicals such as cadmium and asbestos However, many people with kidney cancer have no known risk factors. ...
Source: www.healthline.com
What are the risk factors for kidney cancer?
Like most cancers, kidney cancer becomes more common as you get older. Two-thirds of all kidney cancers occur in people over the age of 60. Kidney cancer is also more common in men: 60% of cases and in men and only 40% in women. Obesity is a major risk factor, involved in one quarter of all cases of kidney cancer. Another major risk is smoking, which increases the risk of getting kidney cancer between two and three times. ...
Source: www.aicr.org.uk
Does the diet affect the risk of kidney cancer?
There is no clear evidence to suggest that diet affects the risk of getting kidney cancer.
Source: www.aicr.org.uk
Are there different types of kidney cancer?
The vast majority of kidney cancers are renal cell cancers. Most of the others are cancers of the renal pelvis. There are several types of renal cell cancers. Most are classed as 'clear cell'
or 'conventional'. A smaller number fall into other types, which are called papillary, chromaphobe, collecting duct and unclassified renal cell cancers.
Source: www.aicr.org.uk
Does kidney cancer run in families?
Kidney cancer does not normally run in families, so having one or more relatives with this type of cancer would not increase your risk. However, there are some rare inherited conditions which carry a very high risk of getting kidney and other cancers.
Source: www.aicr.org.uk
What is the cost of treatment of kidney cancer?
In 2004, the United States spent approximately $1.9 billion on the treatment of kidney cancer.
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Who does kidney cancer affect the most?
Kidney cancer is common in adults over the age of 40. It is important to note that men are twice more likely to get kidney cancer than women.
Source: www.womeningovernment.org
What are the symptoms of kidney cancer? How is it diagnosed?
Symptoms of kidney cancer include: blood in the urine, fever, high blood pressure, pain in the side or lower back not associated with injury, persistent fatigue, rapid, unexplained weight loss, and swelling in the legs and ankles. A series of examinations can diagnose kidney cancer and these include: a thorough physical examination assessing the patient’s medical and health history, CT scan, MRI scan, ultrasound, urine and blood tests.
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What is the incidence of kidney cancer in the United States?
According to the National Cancer Institute, the highest incidence of kidney cancer occurs in the United States. It accounts for approximately 3 percent of all adult cancers. The American Cancer Society has estimated that 32,000 new cases of are diagnosed and about 12,000 people die from kidney cancer annually. In the past 65 years, the incidence of kidney cancer has steadily increased by two percent and the mortality rate has also increased.
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What are the treatment options for kidney cancer?
The treatment options for kidney cancer include: surgery to remove any cancerous tissue, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy and immunotherapy, all of which either remove or prevent cancer cell growth.
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Where does kidney cancer spread?
Kidney cancer most commonly spreads to the lungs, liver, lymph nodes, brain, and bone. But it can spread anywhere.
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How is metastatic kidney cancer found?
Spread of cancer can usually be seen on x-ray (CT or MRI scans). However, some patients may have microscopic spread that will not be picked up on initial scans. Eventually, these tumors may grow enough to become detectable on scans done over time.
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How is metastatic kidney cancer treated?
There are several medicines which can help to shrink cancer deposits. Some of the medicines are newer medicines, which are taken by pill. Others are immunotherapy medicines which need injections. Another part of treatment is to consider removing the kidney where the cancer originated.
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