Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer
This is cancer that forms in tissues of the kidneys. Kidney cancer includes:
- renal cell carcinoma (cancer that forms in the lining of very small tubes in the kidney that filter the blood and remove waste products)
- renal pelvis carcinoma (cancer that forms in the center of the kidney where urine collects).
- Wilms' tumor, which is a type of kidney cancer that usually develops in children under the age of 5
Estimated new cases and deaths from kidney (renal cell and renal pelvis) cancer in the United States in 2007:
- New cases: 51,190
- Deaths: 12,890
Symptoms
Common symptoms of kidney cancer include:
- Blood in the urine (making the urine slightly rusty to deep red)
- Pain in the side that does not go away
- A lump or mass in the side or the abdomen
- Weight loss
- Fever
- Feeling very tired or having a general feeling of poor health
Treatment
Surgery is the most common treatment for kidney cancer. The operation to remove a kidney is called a nephrectomy. There are several types of nephrectomies, depending mainly on the stage of the tumor. Other treatment options are arterial embolization, radiation therapy, biological therapy or chemotherapy.