There is no specific way to prevent kidney cancer, although there are measures that can help to minimize the risk of developing kidney cancer and other types of cancer. This includes seeking medical care as soon as any symptoms of kidney cancer are noted. It is also important to seek regular medical care throughout the lifetime. Regular medical care allows a health care professional to best evaluate the risks of developing kidney cancer and begin rapid diagnostic testing for such symptoms as a hematuria. These measures increase the chances of catching kidney cancer in its earliest, most curable stage.
Lifestyle measures can also help lower the risk of developing kidney cancer. These include achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure, not smoking, and avoiding exposure to toxic substances, such as asbestos, trichloroethylene, and cadmium.
The general goal of treatment of kidney cancer is to bring about a complete remission of the disease, in which there is no longer any sign of cancer in the kidneys or other areas of the body.
Treatment plans for kidney cancer are individualized for each person's specific case. Treatment varies depending on the specific type of cancer cells that are causing kidney cancer, the stage of advancement, a patient's age and medical history, and other factors. Treatment for kidney cancer is best planned and delivered by a team of specialists in care. These specialists may include a medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, and registered nurses who specialize in cancer care.
Kidney cancer is generally treated by surgical removal of the whole kidney or only the part of the kidney that contains the cancerous tumor and surrounding tissue. This is called a nephrectomy. In some cases the adrenal gland that sits on top of the kidney, lymph nodes, and fatty tissue around the affected kidney are also removed.
Drug treatment may include the use of targeted therapy, immunotherapy or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy may also be used in some cases. It may also be recommended that a person with kidney cancer participate in a clinical trial that is researching promising new treatments for kidney cancer.
For people whose kidney cancer has progressed to a very advanced stage, has metastasized extensively, and has become terminal, the goals of treatment may change. Treatment then may shift away from curing the disease and focus on measures to keep a person comfortable and maximize the quality of life. This treatment may be administered through a hospice program.
The list of treatments mentioned in various sources for Kidney Cancer includes the following list. Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment or change in treatment plans.
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Treatment for kidney cancer depends on the stage of the disease, the patient's general health and age, and other factors. The doctor develops a treatment plan to fit each patient's needs. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Kidney Cancer: NCI)
Kidney cancer is usually treated with surgery , radiation therapy , biological therapy , chemotherapy , or hormone therapy . Sometimes a special treatment called arterial embolization is used. The doctors may decide to use one treatment method or a combination of methods. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Kidney Cancer: NCI)
Surgery is the most common treatment for kidney cancer. An operation to remove the kidney is called a nephrectomy . Most often, the surgeon removes the whole kidney along with the adrenal gland and the tissue around the kidney. Some lymph nodes in the area may also be removed. This procedure is called a radical nephrectomy. In some cases, the surgeon removes only the kidney (simple nephrectomy). The remaining kidney generally is able to perform the work of both kidneys. In another procedure, partial nephrectomy, the surgeon removes just the part of the kidney that contains the tumor.
Arterial embolization is sometimes used before an operation to make surgery easier. It also may be used to provide relief from pain or bleeding when removal of the tumor is not possible. Small pieces of a special gelatin sponge or other material are injected through a catheter to clog the main renal blood vessel. This procedure shrinks the tumor by depriving it of the oxygen-carrying blood and other substances it needs to grow. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Kidney Cancer: NCI)
Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. Doctors sometimes use radiation therapy to relieve pain (palliative therapy ) when kidney cancer has spread to the bone.
Radiation therapy for kidney cancer involves external radiation , which comes from radioactive material outside the body. A machine aims the rays at a specific area of the body. Most often, treatment is given on an outpatient basis in a hospital or clinic 5 days a week for several weeks. This schedule helps protect normal tissue by spreading out the total dose of radiation. The patient does not need to stay in the hospital for radiation therapy, and patients are not radioactive during or after treatment (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Kidney Cancer: NCI)
Surgery and arterial embolization are local therapy ; they affect cancer cells only in the treated area. Biological therapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy, explained below, are systemic treatments because they travel through the bloodstream and can reach cells throughout the body.
Biological therapy (also called immunotherapy) is a form of treatment that uses the body's natural ability (immune system ) to fight cancer. Interleukin-2 and interferon are types of biological therapy used to treat advanced kidney cancer. Clinical trials continue to examine better ways to use biological therapy while reducing the side effects patients may experience. Many people having biological therapy stay in the hospital during treatment so that these side effects can be monitored. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Kidney Cancer: NCI)
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Although useful in the treatment of many other cancers, chemotherapy has shown only limited effectiveness against kidney cancer. However, researchers continue to study new drugs and new drug combinations that may prove to be more useful.
Hormone therapy is used in a small number of patients with advanced kidney cancer. Some kidney cancers may be treated with hormones to try to control the growth of cancer cells. More often, it is used as palliative therapy. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Kidney Cancer: NCI)
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