Q: What is the newest most effective treatment for Renal Cell Cancer?
A: The kidneys are a part of the urinary system. They are two bean-shaped organs located just above the waist on each side of the spine. The main function of the kidneys is to filter blood and produce urine to rid the body of waste. The kidneys also produce substances that help control blood pressure and regulate the formation of red blood cells.
There are three types of kidney cancer: renal cell cancer (the most common), transitional cell cancer and Wilm’s tumor. Kidney cancer usually causes no obvious signs or symptoms in the early stages. Some symptoms may include: blood in the urine, a lump or mass in the kidney area, fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, recurrent fevers, pain in the side, high blood pressure or a low number of red blood cells.
Kidney cancer is often diagnosed by using the following methods: taking a patient’s medical history, a physical exam, blood and urine tests, x-rays, CT scan, MRI, ultrasound, and a biopsy if cancer is suspected.
Treatment of kidney cancer depends on the stage of the disease. Common forms of treatment include surgery, radiation therapy, biological therapy (also know as immunotherapy) and chemotherapy. Clinical trials are also available for kidney cancer patients.
Surgery is the most common treatment for kidney cancer. The surgeon may perform a radical nephrectomy, simple nephrectomy, or partial nephrectomy. In a radical nephrectomy, the entire kidney and the adrenal gland are removed and possibly some lymph nodes. In a simple nephrectomy, the surgeon removes only the kidney. In a partial nephrectomy, just the part of the kidney that contains the tumor is removed.
Radiation therapy is the use of high energy X-rays for the treatment of cancer. Radiation is designed to work by preventing cancer cells from growing and multiplying.
Biological therapy or immunotherapy is a form of treatment that uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer. Interleukin-2 and interferon are two types of biological therapy.
Chemotherapy is the use of medications to treat cancer. Depending on the type of cancer and its stages, the four main goals of chemotherapy are to cure cancer, to keep cancer from spreading to slow the growth of cancer, or to relieve cancer symptoms. More than one chemotherapy drug may be given at a time because some drugs work better together than alone.
There are many experimental treatment protocols available for renal cancer. However, a patient must meet the eligibility criteria of the respective protocol.
Patients or family members who are interested in exploring any of the treatment approaches or research protocols are encouraged to contact the Alegent Health Cancer Center at 1-800-ALEGENT.
