Kidney cancer may result in various symptoms, but kidney pain or blood in the urine are most common. However, many kidney cancers are found by chance on scans done for other reasons, often in the absence of any symptoms. On the other hand, kidney cancers can occasionally cause substantial illness, including fevers, weight loss, tiredness etc.
Kidney cancers can usually be diagnosed with reasonable certainty from suitable scans. In doubtful cases, biopsies may be carried out, but this carries some risk and may also return uncertain results.
Kidney cancers are usually treated by surgical removal, either of the whole kidney (nephrectomy) or only the portion involved by the cancer. If the other kidney is healthy, it is generally preferable to remove the whole kidney. However, for small cancers growing on the external surface of the kidney, it may be advantageous to remove only the tumour and preserve a functioning kidney. Kidney operations may be carried out by open surgery or laparoscopy.
If the cancer has spread beyond the kidney, it is usually incurable, but there may still be important reasons to remove the kidney. This allows effective control of symptoms related to the kidney, such as pain or bleeding, and may lead to improved response to further treatment. Further treatment may include medications which are growth-regulatory, such as Sorafenib or Sunitinib. You will need to see an oncologist for such treatment. Sometimes, radiotherapy may be required, especially for cancer that has spread to bones.(top)
A cyst is a thin-walled fluid-filled cavity within the body. Cysts can occur in various bodily organs, most commonly the liver and kidneys. Kidney cysts are extremely common, and often increase in number and size with age. Kidney cysts are frequently found on scans done for other reasons, and, if not causing any symptoms, can be left alone.
Occasionally, cysts may be the cause of symptoms, such as pain or bleeding. Pain may result if there is bleeding or infection within a cyst or if it is causing blockage to the kidney. Usually this is the case with larger rather than small cysts; bleeding may be caused by an injury to the kidney, such as after a fall. Such symptoms may resolve over time. Therefore, initial treatment may consist of painkillers, antibiotics as required and observation. Sometimes surgery to remove the cyst may be required if symptoms persist.
Although most kidney cysts are clearly diagnosed on scans, some cysts may have an abnormal appearance that raises the suspicion of a tumour. This is a difficult problem, and requires discussion between your urologist and radiologist (X-ray specialist). Depending on the degree of suspicion, recommendations will be made for follow-up scans after a period of time or surgery to remove the suspicious area.(top)
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