Kidney Cancer Facts and Treatment Options

Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. When cancer starts in the kidney, it is called kidney and renal pelvis cancer.

It can also be called renal cell cancer as that is the most common type of kidney and renal pelvis cancer. The body has two kidneys, one on each side of the body, located behind the liver and stomach. The kidneys make urine, which is how the body washes liquid waste out of the body. The kidneys also play a role in controlling blood pressure and stimulating the bone marrow to make red blood cells.

Every year, more than 43,000 men and 25,000 women get kidney and renal pelvis cancers, and about 9,000 men and 5,000 women die from these diseases. A person with kidney or renal pelvis cancer may or may not have one or more of the symptoms listed here. The same symptoms can also come from other causes. If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor.
• Blood in the urine.
• A lump or swelling in the kidney area or abdomen.
• Lower back pain or pain in the side that doesn’t go away.
• Feeling tired often.
• Fever that keeps coming back.
• Not feeling like eating.
• Losing weight for no reason that you know of.
• Something blocking your bowels.
• A general feeling of poor health.

Kidney cancer can develop in adults and children. The main types of kidney cancer are renal cell cancer, transitional cell cancer, and Wilms tumor. Certain inherited conditions increase the risk of kidney cancer. Risk factors for kidney and renal pelvis cancers include—
• Being overweight or having obesity.
• Smoking.
• Having high blood pressure. It is not known whether the increased risk is due to high blood pressure itself or the medicines used to treat it.
• Taking certain pain medicines for a long time.
• Having certain genetic conditions.
• Having a long-lasting infection with Hepatitis C.
• Having kidney stones.
• Having sickle cell trait, which is associated with a very rare form of kidney cancer (renal medullary carcinoma).
• Being exposed to a chemical called trichloroethylene, which is used to remove grease from metal.

Different types of treatments are available for patients with renal cell cancer. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment. Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.

Surgery
Surgery to remove part or all the kidney is often used to treat renal cell cancer. The following types of surgery may be used:

Partial nephrectomy: A surgical procedure to remove the cancer within the kidney and some of the tissue around it. A partial nephrectomy may be done to prevent loss of kidney function when the other kidney is damaged or has already been removed.

Simple nephrectomy: A surgical procedure to remove the kidney only.

Radical nephrectomy: A surgical procedure to remove the kidney, the adrenal gland, surrounding tissue, and, usually, nearby lymph nodes.

A person can live with part of 1 working kidney, but if both kidneys are removed or not working, the person will need dialysis (a procedure to clean the blood using a machine outside of the body) or a kidney transplant (replacement with a healthy donated kidney). A kidney transplant may be done when the disease is in the kidney only and a donated kidney can be found. If the patient must wait for a donated kidney, other treatment is given as needed.

When surgery to remove the cancer is not possible, a treatment called arterial embolization may be used to shrink the tumor. A small incision is made, and a catheter (thin tube) is inserted into the main blood vessel that flows to the kidney. Small pieces of a special gelatin sponge are injected through the catheter into the blood vessel. The sponges block the blood flow to the kidney and prevent the cancer cells from getting oxygen and other substances they need to grow.

After the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the surgery, some patients may be given chemotherapy or radiation therapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. Treatment given after the surgery, to lower the risk that the cancer will come back, is called adjuvant therapy.

Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the area of the body with cancer. External radiation therapy is used to treat renal cell cancer and may also be used as palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy).

Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses the patient’s immune system to fight cancer. Substances made by the body or made in a laboratory are used to boost, direct, or restore the body’s natural defenses against cancer. This cancer treatment is a type of biologic therapy. The following types of immunotherapies are being used in the treatment of renal cell cancer:

Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: Some types of immune cells, such as T cells, and some cancer cells have certain proteins, called checkpoint proteins, on their surface that keep immune responses in check. When cancer cells have large amounts of these proteins, they will not be attacked and killed by T cells. Immune checkpoint inhibitors block these proteins and the ability of T cells to kill cancer cells is increased. They are used to treat some patients with advanced renal cell cancer that cannot be removed by surgery.

Interferon: Interferon affects the division of cancer cells and can slow tumor growth.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2): IL-2 boosts the growth and activity of many immune cells, especially lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). Lymphocytes can attack and kill cancer cells.

Sunshine Kidney Care Nephrology Associates
352.388.5800

Ste 522 The Sharon Morse Medical Office Building
1400 US Hwy 441N, The Villages FL 32159