Kidney Tumour and Cancer

A tumour is defined an abnormal mass of tissue, formed by a new growth of cells, and serving no purpose. The terms ‘mass’, ‘lesion’ and ‘growth’ are often used.
Kidney tumours may be benign (non-cancerous) fluid-filled cysts that, when scanned, have a characteristic appearance. These kidney tumours don’t lead to cancer and usually require no treatment.

Solid kidney tumours can also be benign, but over 80% prove to be cancerous (malignant).

In the UK, kidney cancer ranks eighth amongst cancer in adults, and more than nine thousand people are diagnosed each year. Usually, only one of the kidneys is affected by cancer.

Symptoms of Kidney Tumour and Cancer

Possible signs of kidney cancer include blood in the urine, a swelling in the tummy, and continuous pain in the side, or below the ribs. Unexpected weight loss, high blood pressure and anaemia can also be indicators, along with a high temperature, night sweats, tiredness and feeling unwell. Men may experience swelling of the veins in the testicles.

However, other conditions may cause the same symptoms, whilst in a lot of cases there are no symptoms and the cancer is found during tests for other conditions. Blood in urine can be a symptom of a less serious condition that still requires treatment, such as a kidney or bladder stone.

Causes of Kidney Tumour and Cancer

Malignant tumours are made up of cells that begin to grow and multiply uncontrollably where they are not needed; the exact cause of why this happens is unknown.

There are proven risk factors that can increase the chances of developing kidney tumours: such as smoking and obesity, a family history of kidney tumours, being over 50 years of age, and being a man.

Cases of kidney cancer are increasing in line with rising obesity levels. Overweight people, particularly women, have higher levels of a hormone called oestrogen in their body, which may stimulate the growth of cancerous cells.

The most common type of kidney cancer, accounting for more than 80% of cases, is renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Diagnosing of Kidney Tumour and Cancer

After discussing your previous health and treatments, your specialist urologist will make a physical examination of the abdomen and kidneys, followed by several tests:

Urine and blood samples will be sent to a laboratory for analysis, including a liver function test.
Intravenous pyelogram, or IVP: a series of x-rays of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder to find out if renal cell carcinoma is present in any of these organs.
Ultrasound scan: a painless procedure where high-energy sound waves are bounced off internal tissues or organs to form a picture of body tissues.
CT or CAT scan: an x-ray machine that takes a series of detailed pictures from different angles of areas inside the body.
MRI scan: another procedure that uses a magnet and radio waves to make a series of detailed pictures of the internal organs.
If a tumour is detected, a biopsy will be performed. Biopsy is the collection of cells or tissues, via a thin needle inserted into the tumour, for a pathologist to examine them under a microscope to check for signs of renal cell carcinoma.

More information can be found on the Diagnostic Tests and Procedures page.

Treatment of Kidney Tumour and Cancer

After renal cell carcinoma has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the kidney, the urinary tract, or to other parts of the body, and the stage the disease has reached (the size of the tumour). This is called staging and grading. It’s important to know the stage in order to plan treatment

Here is an excellent staging and grading model for Renal Cell Cancer.

As much depends on how advanced the disease is and your age and general health, there is no one treatment that suits all. Your cancer team will recommend what they think is the best treatment option, and the final decision will be yours.

If kidney cancer is diagnosed in the early stages, when the cells are still within the kidney, the outlook is usually good. Generally, removing some or all of the kidney completely cures the patient.

Surgical Interventions

Surgery is the first course of action, to remove the cancer cells as quickly and efficiently as possible. This operation, called a nephrectomy, is removal of all or part of the kidney and can include the bladder, nearby tissues and lymph nodes.

Removing the kidney can help relieve pain, and can be followed by other types of treatment. When one kidney is removed, the other kidney will compensate for it, so living a normal life is possible.

The operation can be performed either with a large incision, or by keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery if that’s possible. Read more at Laparoscopic Surgery

Embolisation: There may be reasons why you can’t have a nephrectomy, but another operation called embolisation may be suitable. This is the insertion of a small tube into your groin, through which a substance that will block the blood supply to your kidney is injected. Without blood flow, tumours are starved of oxygen and nutrients, and will shrink.

Non-surgical treatments
Cancer treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy haven’t proved an effective cure for renal cell carcinoma. However, radiotherapy can help to reduce the symptoms of pain and slow down the growth of the tumour.

Clinical trials of new combinations of chemotherapy medications seem to working for some people.

Kidney Tumour and Cancer