Kidney Cancer : Type, Symptom, Risk Factor, Stage,Treatment, And Drug

Kidney cancer (Renal Cancer) is a type of cancer that starts from the cells of the kidney.The changes of DNA in cells cause kidney cancer.The kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist.One kidney is in the left and another in the right of the backbone.Kidneys are attached to the upper back wall of the abdomen.They control blood pressure by making a hormone called renin and make sure the body to have enough red blood cells by making a hormone called erythropoietin.This hormone tells the bone marrow to make more red blood cells.Kidney cancer originates in the kidney, such as the renal tubule and the renal pelvis.Primary cancer is a cancer that has formed in an organ (kidney) but has not spread elsewhere. Secondary cancer or metastases cancer is a cancer that has formed somewhere else in the body.Most kidney cancers do not cause pain until the advanced stages when they have started to spread.

There two common types of kidney cancer :

• Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC)

• Transitional Cell Carcinoma (TCC) or Urothelial Cell Carcinoma (UCC) of the renal pelvis

The other types of kidney cancer

• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Angiomyolipoma
• Clear-cell sarcoma of the kidney
• Bellini duct carcinoma
• Juxtaglomerular cell tumor (reninoma)
• Mesoblastic nephroma
• Wilm's tumor
• Mixed epithelial stromal tumor
• Transitional cell carcinoma
• Clear cell adenocarcinoma
• Inverted papilloma
• Renal lymphoma
• Teratoma
• Carcinosarcoma
• Carcinoid tumor of the renal pelvis

The Symptoms of Kidney cancer

• Blood in the urine or the changes in urine colour to dark, rusty or brown
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Tiredness
• Heavy sweating
• Fever
• Newly developed high blood pressure
• Lower back, abdominal or flank pain that is not linked with to an injury

The Risk Factors of Kidney Cancer

• Family history of kidney cancer
• Age
• Gender
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Hypertension
• Kidney stones
• Genetic
• Occupational exposure to toxic compounds
• Long-term dialysis and acquired cystic disease
• Regular use of NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen

Diagnosis

The Common Tests to diagnose the kidney cancer

• Ultrasound is a type of scan where a probe slides over the skin allowing the X-Ray team to look for the irregularities in the kidney and other organs.

• Scans are Computed Tomography (CT) scan and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan can provide detailed pictures of organs in the body.This can help in characterizing a lump in the kidney, if one is found.

• Chest X-Ray is an x-ray of organs and bones within the chest.
• Urine Test is to detect other irregularities in the urine, such as protein.
• Blood Tests are chemichal tests of blood to detect findings associated with kidney cancer.
• Intravenous Pyelogram (IVP) is a dye that is injected into a vein.X-Rays are used to map its path through kidneys and into the urine.
• Cytoscopy is a test that checks the baldder and urethra for cancers, using a telescope with lens and light that is placed into the bladder through the urethra.
• Bone scan is a small amount of radioactive material that is injected into a vein and travels through bloodstream to the bones so that the scanner can detect if the cancer has spread to the bones.

There are two types of kidney cancer staging

• The Clinical stage is based on the results of the physical exam, lab tests, and any imaging tests.
• The Phatologic stage is based on the same factors as the clinical stage, the findinfs during surgery, and examination of the removed tissue.

The Stage of Kidney Cancer

• Stage I : Tumor is 7 cm across or smaller and is only in the kidney.There is no spread to lymph nodes or distant organs.

• Stage II : Tumor is larger than 7 cm across but is still only in the kidney.There is no spread to lymph nodes or distant organs.

• Stage III : The tumor is growing into  a major pain (the renal vein or the vena cava) or into tissue around the kidney but it is not growing into the adrenal gland or beyond Getota's fascia.There is no spread to lymph nodes or distant organs.Or The main tumor can be any size and may have grown outside the kidney.It has not spread beyond Getota's fascia.It has spread to nearby lymph nodes but has not spread to distant lymph nodes or other organs.

• Stage IV : The main tumor is growing  beyond Gerota's fascia and may be growing into the adrenal gland on top of the kidney.It may or may not have spread to nearby the lymph nodes.It has not spread to distant lymph nodes or other organs.Or The main tumor can be any size and may have grown outside the kidney.It may or may not have spread to nearby lymph nodes.It has spread to distant lymph nodes and/or other organs.

There are different types of kidney cancer treatment

• A Urologist is a surgeon who specializes in treating disease of the urinary system (male productive system)
• A Radiation Oncologist is a doctor who treats cancer with radiation theraphy
• A Medical Oncologist is  a doctor who treats cancer with medicines, such as chemotherapy.

The treatment of kidney cancer depends on the type and the stage of disease.Some Treatments of Kidney Cancer :

• Surgery or nephrectomy is the removal of kidney tumor.
• Active Surveillance
• Radiation Therapy
• Targeted Therapy
• Radiofrequency ablation is to burn the tumor away.
• Cryotherapy is to freeze the tumor away.
• Adjuvant therapy is to improve survival in kidney cancer.
• Immunotherapy is to induce complete remissions or durable partial remissions in some patients.
• Bioligical therapies (drug treatments) are to use natural substances from the body.
• Chemotherapy

Wilm's tumor is a type of kidney cancer that affect children( under the age of 5).Its treatments use chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery depending the stage of disease.

The Drugs for Kidney Cancer :

• Everolimus (Afinitor)
• Temsirolimus (Torisel)
• Sorafenib (Nexavar)
• Sunitinib (Sutent)
• Axitinib (Inlyta)
• Interferon (immunotherapy)
• Interleukin-2 (immunotherapy)

IMA901 is used to treat patients with kidney cancers.

IMA901 is composed of ten synthetic tumor-associated peptides (TUMAP's ), which activate the body's own killer T-cells against the tumor.This process targets the body's immune responses and mobilizes them to attack cancer.