Kidney Cancer

What are the symptoms of kidney cancer?

Kidney cancer causes few if any noticeable symptoms in its early stages, but as it progresses, ti can cause symptoms like:

• blood in the urine (urine appears pinkish or darker than normal)
• pain or achiness in the lower back that persists
• fatigue
• unintentional weight loss
• low-grade fever that persists or occurs on an on-and-off basis

Risk factors that may make you more likely to develop kidney cancer include:

• older age
• smoking
• obesity
• high blood pressure
• long-term dialysis for kidney failure
• certain inherited disorders including tuberous sclerosis and familial papillary renal cell carcinoma

How is kidney cancer diagnosed?

Kidney cancer diagnosis typically includes tests such as:

• urine and blood tests to look for indications associated with cancer
• imaging tests like ultrasound, CT scanning or MRI to visualize your kidney
• biopsy procedures to remove a small sample of kidney tissue for evaluation and examination in a lab

Once kidney cancer is diagnosed, it will be “staged” using evaluations to determine how far the cancer has progressed. Staging will help determine the most appropriate treatment.

What treatments are available for kidney cancer?

Kidney cancer treatment is based on several factors, including your age and overall health, the stage of your cancer, the type of cancer and whether the cancer has spread (metastasized) to other areas, as well as other factors. Options can include:

• surgery to remove the kidney (nephrectomy)
• nephron-sparing surgery to remove the tumor and a small amount of healthy kidney tissue that surrounds the tumor (usually reserved for small tumors or when only one kidney is present)
• chemotherapy or radiation therapy or both
• cryoablation (freezing cells) or radiofrequency ablation (heating the cells) to destroy the tumor without removing it

Your treatment plan will be customized to achieve optimal results based on your unique medical factors.