Diseases & Conditions
Kidney Cancer
Authors: Thomas Takayama, MD
Last updated: September 19, 2006
- Overview |
- Symptoms |
- Causes |
- Risk Factors |
- Diagnosis |
- Complications |
- Treatment
- Other Articles of Interest
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- Providers |
- Request an Appointment
Overview
Kidney cancer is a cancer that typically arises from the cells (renal tubules) that regulate urine production. The optimal time to find kidney cancer is typically when the tumor is small (under 4 cm), the patient has no symptoms, and it is accidentally found on an Abdominal CT scan or MRI imaging.
Symptoms
Possible flank pain in area of kidney, and/or blood in the urine; however, many patients have no symptoms.
Causes
Exposure to cancer producing agents (carcinogens) such as from cigarette smoking and organic chemicals such as gasoline have been associated with increased risk of developing kidney cancer. The carcinogens are felt to cause genetic mutations in the kidney cells such that they become cancerous. Some patients (e.g. Von Hippel Lindau or VHL disease) have a genetic predisposition to develop kidney cancer.
Risk Factors
Risk factors include exposure to organic chemicals or smoking.
Diagnosis
Radiologic tests to help determine whether cancer has spread beyond the kidney:
- Chest radiograph,
- Abdomen CT scan and/or MRI,
- Bone scan,
- possibly Brain MRI,
- possibly Chest CT scan
Complications
The complications or problems that arise from having kidney cancer include: bleeding into the kidney and/or urine, rupture of the kidney, damage to the entire kidney, renal failure, formation of tumor that extends into the venous blood vessels such as the renal vein with potential extension through the inferior vena cava (IVC, largest vein in the abdomen) all the way to the heart, migration of the tumor in the vein that can end up in the pulmonary system (lungs), deep venous thrombosis or blood clot formation in the large veins of the legs, and spread of cancer to the various parts described above (includes brain, lungs, bone, liver).
Treatment
Surgery
Surgery provides the best chance for cure; open surgery is for larger tumors and laparoscopic surgery is for smaller tumors, depending on the location of the mass.
Radiation therapy
Typically this modality is for cancer that has spread to the bone.
Biological and/or immunotherapy
Please ask your medical oncologist for details; recently, there have been several newer drugs that are demonstrating potential benefit for those with advanced kidney cancer.
Clinical Trials
The clinical trials for medical therapy are run at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA).
>>View all articles.
Providers
Read about our surgeons:
Request an Appointment
Please call the Urology Clinic (206) 598-4294.
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