Kidney cancer is not one of the more common cancers, but it still strikes over 31,000 people a year in the US. Unfortunately, there are no reliable screening methods for early stage disease, so one must pay attention to any abnormal symptoms.

What are the Causes of Kidney Cancer?

• Smoking
• Obesity
• Occupational exposure to toxic chemicals
• Asbestos
• Cadmium
• Benzene
• Trichloroethylene (used in dry cleaning)

What are the Symptoms of Kidney Cancer?

• Blood in the urine (may or may not be visible)
• Back pain/pressure
• Abdominal mass
• Weight Loss

Who Is Likely To Get Kidney Cancer?

• Men are more likely than women to get bladder cancer
• Black patients more at risk than white patients
• People with certain rare hereditary disorders
• Patients with a family history of the disease
• Patients with high blood pressure
• Patients with preexisting kidney disease

What Does Treatment for Kidney Cancer Involve?

The preferred therapeutic approach is surgery to remove as much of the affected area as possible. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy may also be used, depending on the stage of the cancer. Immunotherapy is also an important treatment modality for this particular form of cancer

Surgery

A radical nephrectomy, the complete surgical removal of the kidney and some surrounding tissue, is the recommended treatment for renal cell carcinoma. Nephrectomy may be done laparoscopically as well.

Partial nephrectomy (or nephron-sparing surgery) is used if the patient has cancer in both kidneys, or has only one remaining kidney.

Arterial embolization blocks the renal artery, which supplies the tumor with blood. This technique is sometimes used in addition to the surgery, or as an alternative when surgery is not possible.

Even if the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the surgery, some patients may be given chemotherapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. Treatment given after surgery, to increase the chances of a cure, is called adjuvant therapy.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is not usually effective against renal cell carcinoma, although it may be given as palliative treatment to reduce pain or invasive metastases.

Chemotherapy

Standard chemotherapy regimens are not tremendously effective against kidney cancer. Here are a few drugs that have shown moderate effectiveness:

• 5-FU (5-fluorouracil)
• Gemcitabine
• Capecitabine

However, there is an important new therapeutic option with anti-angiogenesis drugs. Angiogenesis is the process of new blood vessel growth that is required for the growth and metastasis of a tumor. This class of drugs blocks the necessary growth factors for angiogenesis. These medications were recently FDA approved in the last few years, and have the advantage over many chemotherapy drugs of being able to be orally administered:

• Sutent (sunitinib malate)
• Nexavar (sorafenib tosylate)
• Avastin (bevacizumab)

Immunotherapy

The use of biological molecules called cytokines has proven to have a significant effect on kidney cancer. The most commonly used are:

• Interleukin-2
• Interferon-alpha

What Are The Advantages Of Surgery?

The tumor-affected area is removed.

How Long Does It Take?

The time required for the surgery depends heavily on the extent of tumor involvement.

How Many Treatments Are Required?

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy need to be administered as a series of treatments. Surgery should be a one-time event.

What Are My Alternatives to Treat Kidney Cancer?

Hormone therapy (medroxyprogesterone acetate)

Will I Have Pain?

Pain should be reduced by treatment. There may be some postoperative pain, but this can be managed by prescription or over-the-counter medications.

When Can I Go Back To Work Or School?

This is highly variable, depending on the extent of the procedure performed.

Who Will Perform My Treatment?

One of our board-certified urologists/nephrologists will perform the procedure.

How Much Does It Cost?

Please call TopSurgeons at 800-506-8084 for more information.

Will My Insurance Cover Kidney Cancer Treatment?

Insurance should cover this condition and any approved treatments.