Kidney Cancer – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Kidney Cancer - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
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Kidneys are part of the urinary tract. The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs about the same size as a fist.  They are located near the middle of the back, one on either side of the spine. Urine collects in a hollow space (renal pelvis) in the middle of each kidney. They make urine by removing wastes and extra water from the blood.  It passes from the renal pelvis into the bladder through a tube called a ureter. Urine leaves the body through another tube (the urethra). The kidneys are part of the body system called the urinary system.

It is made up the Kidneys, Ureters, Bladder, Prostate (in men) and Urethra.The kidneys filter the blood.  As the blood passes through the kidneys, waste products and unneeded water are collected and turned into urine. The urine is gathered in an area called the renal pelvis at the centre of each kidney.  From here it drains into the bladder down a tube called the ureter.  There are 2 ureters one from each kidney.  Another tube called the urethra carries the urine from the bladder out of the body.

Kidney cancer most  happens in people over 40. Risk factors include smoking, having certain genetic conditions and misusing pain medicines for a long time. Each kidney has about 1 million nephrons.  Inside the nephrons, waste products in the blood move across from the bloodstream (the capillaries) into the urine-carrying tubes inside the nephron.  These tubes are called tubules.  As the blood passes through the blood vessels of the nephron, all unwanted waste is taken away.  Any chemicals needed by the body are kept or returned to the bloodstream by the nephrons.  In this way, the kidney helps to regulate the levels of chemicals in the blood such as sodium and potassium.  So the right levels are maintained to keep the body healthy.

Causes of Kidney Cancer

First is Cigarette smoking increases the risk of getting kidney cancer by about 40%. Cigarette smokers are twice as likely as nonsmokers to develop kidney cancer. Second is overweight person has a much higher risk of getting kidney cancer and last is  job increases the risk of kidney cancer.others risk factors is High blood pressureand some Medicines, such as pain-reliever (phenacetin).

Symptoms of Kidney Cancer

Common symptoms of kidney cancer include is 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 and Fatigue.

Treatment of Kidney Cancer

Surgery is the standard treatment for contained kidney cancer. Arterial embolization is a type of local therapy that shrinks the tumor. Sometimes it is done before an operation to make surgery easier.Biologic therapies are used more frequently. Biological therapy uses the body’s natural ability (immune system) to fight cancer. It uses substances that travel through the bloodstream, reaching and affecting cells all over the body.  Radiation and chemotherapy are not very effective in treating kidney cancer. Chemotherapy is also a type of systemic therapy. Medications such as alpha-interferon and interleukin-2 (IL-2) have been successful in reducing the growth of some renal cell carcinomas, including some with metastasis.

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Author: Piyawut Sutthiruk

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