Cancer is an uncontrolled increase in the number of malignant cells in any particular part of the body. Renal cell carcinoma, which affects the kidneys, is the most common form of kidney cancer. The difficulty is that it does not manifest with symptoms and so detecting it is a little difficult. It is often diagnosed when looking for some other disease source. Diagnosing it early helps in halting the progression of cancer within the kidneys and to distant organs. It also helps in minimalistic treatment intervention.
Causes of renal cell carcinoma
The exact reason why renal cell carcinoma occurs is not established. However, there is a strong connection to family history. In addition, the following are considered to increase the risk of renal cell cancer.
- Smoking
- Prolonged use of pain medications
- History of hepatitis C
- Being overweight
- Chronic kidney diseases.
Most often, the condition starts on one side as a small tumor but can soon spread as multiple tumors in both kidneys.
Symptoms of renal cell carcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma progresses for quite a while without manifesting any symptoms. The dormant symptoms cannot be seen in the early stages. It could be a while before the patient presents with the following symptoms:
- Lower back pain, usually on one side
- Blood in the urine
- Lump on the lower back or side
- Sudden weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Lack of energy
- Fever, chills, and night sweats
- Increased calcium levels in the blood
- Anemia
Of note, these are symptoms of any kidney problem including kidney stones and chronic kidney disease. Therefore, if you find out that you are suffering from any of these symptoms, then you should consider consulting a doctor at the earliest. Further diagnosis would be required to confirm the disease.
The doctor could ask you to note down some points such as what makes the pain better or worse, when does it happen, urination pattern including color and frequency, family medical history, etc. Answers to these can help in performing the right sets of tests and arriving at a confirmed diagnosis and treatment.
Diagnostic tests for of renal cell carcinoma include:
- Blood tests
- Urine tests
- Biopsy
- Liver function tests
- Ultrasound
- CT scan
- MRI
Once cancer is confirmed, it is essential to check if it has spread to other organs including the lungs, liver, etc.
Treatment will have to be then planned depending on:
- Extent of cancer spread within the kidneys
- The size and number of tumors
- The growth of cancerous cells affecting other parts of the body
- Response to the treatment
Various options available are listed below. Often a combination of these is used to manage cancer.
- Chemotherapy- using drugs which attack cancer cells
- Radiotherapy- aims at specific tumors
- Surgery- to remove the tumor, where feasible
- Immunomodulatory therapy- where the body’s immune system is strengthened to fight the cancer
Keeping oneself emotionally and physically strong when coping with the disease is very important. Overall health should be maintained through healthy diet and lifestyle for better prognosis.
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