Renal Cancer
Renal cancer, also called kidney cancer, occurs when cells in the kidneys begin to change and grow out of control. The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located behind the abdominal organs on either side of the spine. Although kidneys are important, our bodies can still function with only one kidney.
Renal cancer is twice as common in men than in women.
At North Kansas City Hospital Center, our doctors will tell you exactly what to expect if you’re diagnosed with renal cancer. Our entire team is committed to providing each patient with empathetic and excellent care.
Types of Renal Cancer
There are many different types of renal cancer. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) usually develops as a single tumor in one kidney, but it can affect both kidneys. RCC is the most common type of renal cancer in adults, accounting for nine out of 10 renal cancers, according to ACS.
Types of RCC include:
- Clear cell RCC, which appears as pale or clear cells when viewed under a microscope, is the most common form of RCC
- Non-clear cell RCC, which includes papillary renal cell carcinoma, chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, unclassified renal cell carcinoma and more rare subtypes
Other types of renal cancer include:
- Renal sarcoma, which begins in the kidney’s blood vessels or tissue and is rare
- Transitional cell carcinoma (also known as urothelial carcinomas), which begins in the renal pelvis’s lining, where the ureters meet the kidneys, and is linked to smoking or being exposed to certain chemicals in the workplace
- Wilms tumor, which is rare in adults and almost always is diagnosed in children
Renal Cancer Risk Factors
Having a renal cancer risk factor doesn’t mean you’ll develop the disease. Having a renal cancer risk factor does increase your risk. Some risk factors can’t be helped. However, knowing your renal cancer risk factors allows you to change or modify certain behaviors.
Risk factors for renal cancer include:
- Advanced kidney disease
- Certain inherited genetic changes
- Certain pain medication
- Exposure to certain chemicals
- Family history of renal cancer
- Gender, with men twice as likely to be affected than women, according to ACS
- High blood pressure
- Obesity
- Race and ethnicity, with higher rates among American Indian and Alaska Native people, according to ACS
- Smoking
Signs and Symptoms of Renal Cancer
Early-stage renal cancer may not cause any signs or symptoms. But as the cancer grows in size and spreads, you may begin to notice changes. These symptoms can also indicate less serious diseases.
Renal cancer signs and symptoms include:
- Anemia (which means your red blood cell counts are low)
- Blood in the urine
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Lack of appetite
- Mass on your lower back or side
- One-sided pain in the lower back that doesn’t go away
- Unintended weight loss
Diagnostic Tests for Renal Cancer
Our specialists will use several tests to diagnose and gather more information to determine the best path forward.
Some of the tests we may recommend include:
- Biopsy: When imaging tests aren’t clear enough to permit surgery, a small piece of tissue is removed for diagnosis.
- Blood tests: Blood tests help guide decisions on the management of the disease.
- Imaging tests: A doctor may request imaging tests, such as a CT scan, MRI, PET scan or ultrasound, to review suspicious areas, learn if cancer may have spread, determine a treatment’s effectiveness and look for signs of cancer returning.
- Physical exam: A physical exam can provide information about signs of renal cancer and other health problems. If the results suggest you may have renal cancer, more tests will probably be performed.
- Urine tests: Urine tests analyze urine to detect various health issues.
Renal Cancer Treatment Options
Our doctors will assign a stage to your cancer based on your test results. We prescribe a range of renal cancer treatments.
The renal cancer treatments we may recommend include:
- Ablation, which destroys small renal cancers using heat or cold ablation and may be an option if you have other health problems that make surgery risky
- Chemotherapy, which uses medications to stop cancerous cells from growing or multiplying
- Radiation therapy, which uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors, and may be used before or after renal cancer surgery
- Surgery, which removes the cancer while preserving normal kidney function, is often the initial treatment
- Targeted therapy, which targets proteins that control how cancer cells grow, divide and spread