Kidney Cancer

The Kidney organs are responsible for elimination of waste material from the blood through the urine and production of hormones, which regulate blood pressure and control red blood cell production.

Just above the Kidneys are the Adrenal glands, and they produce hormones that are essential and sustain life. These hormones regulate blood pressure, stress responses and sugar levels in the blood as well as Epinephrine, something which controls the pulse rate and blood pressure.

The body can function well enough with one Kidney and one adrenal gland if they are healthy. One healthy Kidney and one healthy Adrenal gland allows for the removal of one entire Kidney and Adrenal gland if necessary to remove a cancer located in the kidney area. If a patient has poor kidney function prior to development of Kidney cancer it might not be possible to remove one kidney and still have normal function.

The majority of people have two Kidneys, which produce urine and drain through narrow tubes called Ureters into the bladder.

In the human body, the Kidneys are located toward the back of the flank, with one Kidney on either side.

The Kidney is held inside of the, ‘Gerota’s Fascia,’ a kind of fibrous sheath. Inside of the Gerota’s Fascia is a layer of fat that surrounds the Kidney. The layer of fat is a thin and covers the outer surface of the Kidney, somewhat like the outer layer of an apple. There is a primary vein that drains the kidney, called a, ‘renal vein,’ and it merges with the vein that takes blood to the heart, called the, ‘Vena Cava.’ The word, ‘renal,’ means in regards to the Kidney. An Adrenal gland is located above each Kidney within Gerota's Fascia.

There are several types of tumors, both benign and malignant, that may occur in the Kidney. The words, ‘mass,’ ‘lesion,’ and, ‘tumor,’ are many times used interchangeably. Tumors may be, ‘Benign,’ meaning that the tumor is not cancerous, or, ‘Malignant,’ meaning that it is cancerous. Cysts are the most common type of Kidney tumor, and are fluid-filled. Simple Cysts are both benign and usually do not require follow up treatment; they have a typical appearance on imaging studies. Complex Cysts, on the other hand, might be cancerous; they also do not have a typical benign appearance on imaging studies. If a Complex Cyst is found, treatment is determined on an individual basis. One other form of Kidney tumor is a solid Kidney Tumor, named because it is not fluid-filled. A Solid Kidney Tumor may or may not be benign; they are usually malignant. Over ninety-percent of all Solid Kidney Tumors are malignant.

Approximately three percent of all forms of cancer in America are Kidney cancers, and account for nearly twelve thousand deaths every year.

Six-thousand six hundred British citizens are diagnosed with Kidney cancer every year, and three-thousand six hundred people in Britain die from Kidney cancer annually.

Many people in Britain believe the number of Kidney cancer deaths is even higher, and suspect the number of deaths from Kidney cancer reported is incorrect.

Slightly more men than women find themselves battling Kidney cancer, and are usually diagnosed with it between the ages of fifty and seventy years of age; although it can happen at any age. For adults the most common form of Kidney Cancer is, ‘Renal Cell Carcinoma,’ which is also know as, ‘Renal Adenocarcinoma,’ or, ‘Hypernephroma.’

A Kidney imaging study is one of the first things a doctor usually orders when a Kidney Tumor is suspected, and takes the form of a CT Scan, an MRI, or an Ultrasound. Sometimes a doctor will order a combination of these imaging tests so they may obtain a complete evaluation of the tumor. If the doctor suspects that a tumor is cancerous, they will evaluate the patient to find out if the cancer has spread beyond the kidney. A biopsy may be performed in the case of Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Doctors discourage general biopsies of kidney cancer for many reasons, to include the potential for false negative readings, the vascularity of the tissue, as well as the fact that if it is cancerous it can, in rare cases, spread along the exit path of the needle used to obtain the biopsy. When a biopsy is performed a doctor removes a sample of the tissue so they may examine it underneath a microscope. When examined underneath a microscope there are two distinct cell types that are visible. These cell types include either Clear Cell or Granular Cell, or, ‘Sarcomatoid,’ cells. Cancer cells are a mixture of both forms of cells. The kinds of cells usually do not influence the outcome following treatment, but in some studies certain medication results in improved outcomes for patients who have Clear Cell Carcinoma.

Further Information Regarding Kidney Cancer

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