A visual guide to kidney cancer

Kidney cancer is a dangerous disease and is likened to a "silent killer". The disease often progresses silently and is only detected in the advanced stages. Therefore, when detecting abnormal symptoms, patients should go to the doctor as soon as possible to diagnose and evaluate the prognosis of kidney cancer and treat the disease in time.

The main job of the kidneys is to filter waste from the blood and excrete it in the urine. At the same time, it also helps control blood pressure and participates in the production of red blood cells by secreting erythropoietin (which stimulates the bone marrow to produce red blood cells). Kidney cancer, also known as renal cell carcinoma, occurs when cells in one or both kidneys begin to grow out of control and form a malignant tumor in the kidney that causes compression. healthy cells. This pathology is one of the 10 most common cancers in both men and women
Most people diagnosed with kidney cancer are between 50 and 70 years old. Men are two to three times more likely to develop the disease than women, and African-Americans have a higher chance of getting the disease than other groups. High blood pressure, kidney disease, and certain genetic problems, such as von Hippel-Lindau disease, can also increase your risk.

Many people wonder if kidney cancer is contagious? In fact, kidney cancer is not a contagious disease and cannot be spread from person to person. Patients are more likely to develop kidney cancer if they have the following risk factors:
Smoking: smoking doubles the risk of the disease. It is thought to be responsible for 30% of kidney cancers in men and 25% in women. Overweight: People who are overweight or obese are nearly twice as likely to develop renal cell carcinoma. Exposure to certain substances in the workplace such as cadmium or trichlorethylene.

If the patient has only a small tumor, the patient may not notice any symptoms, but larger tumors can cause the following problems:
Blood in the urine A tumor in the side or back Lower back pain Feeling tired Losing weight for no reason Fever

4.1 Blood and urine tests If your doctor thinks you may have kidney cancer, he or she may order urinalysis and blood tests to detect abnormalities. Blood tests aim to evaluate the blood count and make sure the patient has a healthy white blood cell, red blood cell, and platelet count. People with kidney cancer often have anemia.
4.2 Diagnostic Imaging The doctor may order a CT scan to take a closer look at the patient's kidneys:
Ultrasound: Uses sound waves to create a black and white image on a computer screen. Computed tomography (CT): X-rays from different angles are stitched together to create a more complete image. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Magnets and radio waves will help create detailed images. 4.3 Biopsy With kidney cancer, a biopsy is rarely needed and is done only in very rare cases. If your doctor decides a biopsy is necessary, he or she will recommend surgery to remove a small sample from the tumor with a needle and test it. In this case, a biopsy is used to know for sure if you have cancer.

Doctors can predict kidney cancer based on the extent of the cancer cells. Cells are graded according to how different they are from normal cells. Kidney cancer can be grade 1, 2, 3, or 4 cells (grade 4 cells look very different from normal cells and tend to grow the fastest). Your doctor will also check how far the cancer has spread, which can be stage I, II, III, or IV. Stage I cancer is only in the kidney, while stage IV has spread to other parts of the body.

The doctor will make treatment recommendations based on the type of kidney cancer, age, stage of the cancer and other health problems the patient may have. In the case of a small tumor, your doctor may suggest regular follow-up and check-ups to see if it starts to grow larger. If the tumor grows larger, the doctor may prescribe the following treatments:
6.1 Surgery This is the most common treatment. The doctor may remove only the part of the kidney where the tumor is and let the healthy part continue to work. In other cases, it may be necessary to remove adjacent healthy cells as well.
6.2 Destroying the tumor If surgery to remove the tumor is not possible, the doctor may try to destroy the tumor by using radio waves to heat the tumor or cold air to freeze the tumor. These substances can kill cancer cells without damaging the kidneys. If cancers cause excessive bleeding, they can block the arteries that carry blood to the kidneys and can damage the kidneys.
6.3 Targeted Therapies Kidney tumors create a network of blood vessels to grow. A new drug targets these blood vessels but does not affect normal blood vessels. Without blood, the tumor stops growing or even shrinks. Targeted therapy is used to treat advanced renal cell cancer. Other targeted therapies block a protein called mTOR that helps cancer cells grow.
6.4 Immunotherapy The idea of ​​this therapy is to strengthen the immune system so that it can fight or destroy cancer cells. Depending on the prognosis of kidney cancer, the doctor may recommend this approach if targeted therapy is not effective or may also recommend that the patient use both therapies at the same time.
6.5 Chemotherapy Chemotherapy is a combination of powerful drugs used to kill fast-growing cells. This therapy may not work as well against kidney cancer, but your doctor may still try it if other treatments for kidney cancer are poor after treatment or don't work.
6.6 Radiation Therapy This treatment uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells or shrink tumors. But kidney cancer is not sensitive to radiation, so radiation therapy is not indicated as often. However, based on the prognosis of kidney cancer, your doctor may recommend radiation therapy if surgery is not possible or to help relieve symptoms such as pain or bleeding. You may also have radiation therapy if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the bones or brain.
In addition, researchers are working to find new treatments to improve the prognosis of kidney cancer. If patients volunteer to participate in clinical trials, patients can be treated with cutting-edge therapies that are being researched and developed. This is one direction patients can consider when treating kidney cancer.

Many kidney cancer patients are too abstinent leading to not enough health and fitness to fight the disease. Patients need to have a complete and balanced diet, ensuring foods belonging to the groups of protein, flour, fat, vitamins and minerals. Although diet does not cure disease, it plays an important role in recovery, health promotion and therapeutic support. Here are some nutritional notes for kidney cancer patients:
Patients should increase carbohydrates from honey, vermicelli, sweet potatoes, tapioca The amount of fat should be 30-35g/ day. Patients should not use fat derived from animals Protein: The amount of protein added depends on the weight of each patient and should choose protein from animals such as milk, fish, eggs,... Enhanced add vegetables. Use low-protein vegetables, sweet fruits, and low potassium content. Kidney cancer patients should abstain from all kinds of melons, eggplants, shrimp paste, fish sauce, etc. In the process of food processing, they should also limit salt and main noodles, avoid using animal organs such as heart, liver, etc. brain. Kidney cancer patients should use cooled boiled water, boiled vegetable juice or fruit juice. The amount of water to drink per day is calculated as the amount of urine plus about 200-300ml. Especially need not to smoke, alcohol and other stimulants Thanks to the advancement of medicine, more and more kidney cancer patients are detected early and successfully treated. Therefore, when there are abnormal signs suggesting kidney cancer, patients should immediately go to medical facilities for timely examination and treatment.

Reference source: webmd.com