There are several types of Kidney cancer, of which renal cell carcinoma is the most common in adults. Similarly, children are more likely to have Wilms’ tumour Kidney cancer.

Patients diagnosed with kidney disease or subjected to dialysis procedures are at greater risk of kidney cancer. Also, the risk of kidney cancer in men is twice that of women.

The actual cause of kidney cancer is not known yet. DNA is present within each cell that directs our bodily and cellular functions.

Research suggests that a faulty DNA mutation within the kidney cells can make them divide and proliferate. These cells grow and form tumours within the kidneys. If left untreated, the cancer may also spread to other nearby organs.

There are no symptoms in the early stages of Kidney cancer. However, as the cancer progresses, a range of symptoms can be seen:

• Loss of appetite
• Unexplained weight loss
• Blood in urine
• Pink, cola, or red-coloured urine
• Pain in the back
• Fatigue
• Fever

Your doctor may carry out a variety of tests to diagnose kidney cancer:

• Urine and blood test: It is necessary to check the patient’s blood and urine to evaluate the condition inside the kidney. That gives your doctor an indication of what may be unusual inside your kidney.

• Imaging test: Imaging tests are done to detect abnormalities within the kidney. Through Ultrasound, X-ray, CT, and MRI, the abnormal tissues present inside the kidney can be analysed.

• Biopsy: The doctor can take a small tissue from the patient’s kidney and send it to the lab for examination. The sample is taken from the damaged part of the kidney. However, this test is done in very few cases.

Stages of Kidney Cancer

If kidney cancer is confirmed, then doctors will first try to detect its stage. Some more CT scans or imaging tests can help with the process.

Kidney cancer is divided into four stages. In the first stage of kidney cancer, abnormal tissues begin to form within the kidney. In the fourth stage, cancer cells reach the organs and lymph nodes around the kidney.

Usually, Kidney cancer is treated through surgical procedures. However, if the cancer has spread to other organs, your doctor may also recommend other cancer treatment types.

The doctor may examine your body and health thoroughly before treating kidney cancer. Following this, the doctor determines the best treatment mode, depending on the stage, type, location, and spread of cancer.

Surgery

Surgery is the primary treatment option for kidney cancer. The purpose of surgery is to normalise the kidney’s functions by removing the cancer cells present in the kidney, if possible.

Here are some surgical procedures exist for the treatment of Kidney cancer:

• Nephrectomy (removal of the whole kidney): Depending on the spread of cancer, the surgeon may opt for a nephrectomy. In this, the whole kidney, the kidney and the healthy tissues around it, and some nearby organs such as the lymph nodes or adrenal gland are removed.

Nephrectomy can be performed in two ways:

• Open nephrectomy:  A long incision is made in the abdomen, and the kidney is removed.
• Laparoscopic nephrectomy:  In this procedure, many small incisions are made in the lower abdomen, and the kidney is removed with a robot’s help. Surgeons control the robotic machine with a computer.
• Partial nephrectomy: It is also called nephron-sparing surgery. In this procedure, the surgeons do not remove the entire kidney but remove the cancer cells and some of the healthy tissues around it. This process can be completed with open surgery or laparoscopy.

If a patient has only one kidney or cancer spreads only to a small part of the kidney, the doctor may suggest a kidney sparing surgery. Kidney functions may become normal after successful nephron-sparing surgery, with no long-term complications.

Non-surgical treatments

If the size of the Kidney cancer is small, then it can be treated with some non-surgical treatments. Non-surgical options are recommended for critical patients with severe, underlying health problems.

• ● Cryoablation: This procedure is performed with an ultrasound or another imaging test. A hollow needle is inserted inside the kidney through the skin. Cold gas is passed through this needle that freezes the cancer cells.
• ● Radiofrequency ablation:  In this method, a special kit with imaging guidance is inserted into the kidney, and an electric current is given to the cancer cells. Electricity burns and destroys these cells.

Kidney Cancer can recur even after successful cancer treatments. In such cases, the cancer cells start spreading more rapidly than before and metastasise to other parts of the body. This is a critical situation where treatment is not possible. However, the patient may be re-treated to reduce pain and symptoms.

These are the risks associated with Kidney cancer surgery:

• Reaction with anaesthesia
• Too much bleeding
• Infection
• Incisional hernia
• Leakage of urine into the stomach
• Kidney failure
• Leakage of air in the chest cavity (pneumothorax)