What is kidney cancer? An expert explains
Cancer that starts in the kidneys is known as kidney cancer. The two bean-shaped organs that make up your kidneys are each around the size of your fist. There is one kidney on each side of your spine, and they are situated below your abdominal organs.
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Renal cell carcinoma is the most prevalent kind of kidney cancer in adults. There may be other, less frequent forms of kidney cancer. Wilms’ tumor, a form of kidney cancer, is more common in young children.
Kidney cancer appears to be becoming more common. The increased use of imaging methods like computed tomography (CT) scans might be one explanation for this. It’s possible that these tests will unintentionally reveal more kidney cancer cases. When kidney cancer is tiny and limited to the kidney, it is frequently detected in its early stages.
Table of Contents
Significance
In its early stages, kidney cancer typically exhibits no symptoms or indicators. Over time, the following symptoms and indicators might appear:
Blood in your pee, which might have a cola, pink, or red tint
You have persistent back or side pain.
appetite decline
Unexpected weight reduction
fatigue
High temperature
When to visit a physician
If you are concerned about any persistent signs or symptoms, schedule an appointment with your doctor.
Reasons
The majority of kidney malignancies have unclear etiology.
Physicians are aware that certain kidney cells have genetic alterations, or mutations, which lead to kidney cancer. The instructions that inform a cell what to do are encoded in its DNA. The alterations instruct the cells to proliferate and develop quickly. The aberrant cells build up to develop a tumor that may spread outside of the kidney. Certain cells have the ability to split off and travel (metastasize) to other areas of the body.
Risk elements
The following are some factors that may raise your risk of kidney cancer:
older years. As you become older, your chance of kidney cancer rises.
smoking. Renal cancer is more common among smokers than in nonsmokers. The risk goes down as you stop.
Being overweight. Obese individuals are more likely to get kidney cancer than those who are deemed to be of a healthy weight.
elevated blood pressure, or hypertension. Kidney cancer risk is increased by high blood pressure.
therapy for renal impairment. Renal cancer is more common in patients receiving long-term dialysis for chronic kidney failure.
certain hereditary syndromes. Individuals with von Hippel-Lindau disease, Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, tuberous sclerosis complex, hereditary papillary renal cell carcinoma, or familial renal cancer may be at higher risk of developing kidney cancer from birth.
Kidney cancer in the family history. If there is a close family history of kidney cancer, the chance of developing the illness is increased.
Prevention
Making healthy changes to your lifestyle may help lower your risk of kidney cancer. To lower your risk, attempt to:
Give up smoking. Give up smoking if you do. There are several ways to stop smoking, such as prescription drugs, support groups, and nicotine replacement therapies. Inform your doctor that you wish to stop, and you two may talk through your choices.
Sustain a healthy weight. Make an effort to keep a healthy weight. If you are fat or overweight, cut back on your daily caloric intake and make an effort to exercise most days of the week. Consult your physician about other healthy weight-loss techniques.
Reduce elevated blood pressure. During your next visit, request that your doctor take your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is above, you can talk about ways to bring it down. Lifestyle modifications including exercise, dieting, and weight loss can be beneficial. To reduce their blood pressure, some patients might need to take additional drugs. Talk to your doctor about your choices.
