Kidney Cancer 

About Kidney Cancer

A bout with cancer is like a run through the gauntlet. So, while a diagnosis can feel daunting, the best thing you can do is to read up, get informed, and know your treatment options. Understanding the breadth of treatment available beyond clinical radiation and chemotherapy can be life-changing. Explore alternative remedies, talk to your doctor, and find the right therapy option for you.

Where is Kidney Cancer Located?

Kidney cancer is located in its namesake: below the intestines and before the bladder. Since this is a carcinoma cancer, the disease typically originates through a buildup of cancer cells in the organ wall tissue. A clustering of abnormal cells form tumors, either benign or malignant, the latter being cancerous.

Kidney cancer tends to skew male in cancer patients. Research run by the CDC shows that in 2016 diagnoses rates in men sat at 22.8 in every 100,000, while women were near half this, at 11.6 in every 100,000.

Are There Different Types of Kidney Cancer?

Types of kidney cancer correlate to the severity of the cancer’s spread, making it important to engage in active surveillance of the disease. The types of kidney cancer are broken down as follows:

• Carcinoma In Situ – Abnormal tissue, while present, is yet to spread.
• Invasive Carcinoma – Cancer spreads to the surrounding tissue.
• Metastatic Carcinoma – Cancer spreads beyond the original tissue to infect other organs.

Causes and Risk Factors

There are several risk factors that can greatly increase the inhibitors of kidney cancer. These include:

• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Tuberous sclerosis
• Smoking
• Von Hippel Lindau Syndrome

While kidney cancer is not hereditary, the risk is certainly increased when there is a family lineage of the disease.

Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Staging

Signs and Symptoms of Kidney

Early symptoms of kidney cancer can often be mistaken for urinary issues. If you experience any of the following it’s important to seek immediate advice from your doctor.

• Pain and lumps in your abdomen
• Anemia and excessive fatigue
• Blood in the urine
• The unexpected loss of weight and appetite

Test for Kidney Cancer

There are several effective tests to recognize the early stages of kidney cancer in the body. Typically, oncologists will first issue a blood and urine test that measures the amounts of electrolytes in the body. Following these, doctors will recommend a CT scan, MRI scan, or use an ultrasound to check for tumor cells or other abnormal cell clusters. In some cases, a renal cell mass biopsy will be necessary to analyze cell buildup and run further tests.

The Different Stages of Kidney Cancer

The American Joint Committee on Cancer measures the stages of kidney cancer through the TNM system, which uses the following breakdown:

• T – Tumor: Both the size and spread
• N – When the tumor has spread to infect local lymph nodes
• M – When cancer is metastatic and has spread to other organs

Should kidney cancer enter stages two or three it is likely that the patient should undergo a nephrectomy to remove the entire kidney.

Alternative Treatment for Kidney Cancer

Traditional treatments of kidney cancer include surgery to remove cancerous cells and tissue or decrease fluid buildup, chemotherapy, and radiation. While the traditional treatment of kidney cancer may be effective, many of the drugs used can come with potential side effects that leave you weak and make your quality of life rather painful. There are various kidney cancer alternative treatment plans offering natural remedies in place of traditional drugs that can potentially reduce the severity of side effects.

If you have been diagnosed with kidney cancer, the Immunity Therapy Center offers a full range of alternative treatments to help you manage it. Our cancer center is committed to providing completely tailored targeted therapy and treatment plans that are structured around the specific conditions and health needs of all our cancer patients. We offer one-on-one consultations with Dr. Bautista, which ensures that we get to know you personally and build an actual relationship to provide you with the best alternative treatment plan for Kidney cancer. For more information or to receive a free consultation, please contact us today or visit our cancer center.

Sources

Urology Care Foundation, What is Kidney Cancer? https://www.urologyhealth.org/urologic-conditions/kidney-cancer

Cleveland Clinic, How is Kidney Cancer Diagnosed? https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9409-kidney-cancer-overview/diagnosis-and-tests

CDC, Rates of New Cancers, https://gis.cdc.gov/Cancer/USCS/DataViz.html