Kidney Cancer
What is Kidney Cancer?
Kidney Cancer begins in the Kidneys, 2 large, bean-shaped organs. One is just to the left and the other to the right of the backbone. The lower rib cage protects the Kidney. The Kidney filters the blood and helps the body get rid of excess water, salt, and waste products in the form of urine.
Although we have two Kidneys, it is possible to survive with less than even one complete Kidney. Some people live without any working kidney at all. Their blood is filtered by a machine in a process called dialysis.
What is the most common type of Kidney Cancer?
The most common type of Kidney cancer is called renal cell cancer. It accounts for more than 9 out of 10 cases of Kidney Cancer. Kidney cancer begins small and grows larger over time. It usually grows as a single mass within the Kidney. There are 5 main types of renal cell cancer: clear cell, papillary, chromophobe, collecting duct, and unclassified. Each of these types can be recognized by the way the cells look under the microscope. About 8 out of 10 cases of renal cell cancer are the clear cell type.
What is the Grade of Kidney Cancer?
An important feature of kidney cancer is the grade of the cancer. Grade refers to how closely the cancer cells look like normal cells. Kidney cancers are usually graded on scale of 1 to 4. The lower the number, the more the cancer cells look like normal cells and the better the outlook for the patient. A grade 4 would have cancer cells that look quite different from normal cells and the outlook for the patient would be worse.
What causes Kidney Cancer?
We do not know exactly what causes kidney cancer, but we do know that certain risk factors are linked to the disease.
What are the Risk Factors?
o Smoking-increases the risk of getting Kidney Cancer by about 40%.
o Job hazards: Many studies suggest that exposure to certain chemicals on the job increase the risk of Kidney Cancer.
o Gender: Kidney cancer is found about twice as often among men as among women. This could be because men are more likely to be smokers and to be exposed to cancer-causing chemicals at work.
How is Kidney Cancer detected?
Kidney Cancer is typically detected with a CT-Scan or MRI Scans.
What are the symptoms of Kidney Cancer?
o Blood in the urine
o Low Back Pain
o Mass or Lumb in the Belly
o Swelling of Ankles or Legs
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