Guide To The Major Types Of Kidney Cancer

Kidney cancer is a form of cancer that affects the kidneys, the organs responsible for filtering the blood of excess fluids, electrolytes, and toxins to be excreted through urine. Malignancy in the body occurs when cellular damage results in a change or alteration in the part of the genetic code or DNA of the cell responsible for cell differentiation, multiplication, growth, and apoptosis. This genetic mutation or change causes the cells to grow beyond control, invade healthy tissues nearby, and use up nutrients healthy cells need. Kidney cancer can stay isolated within kidney tissues, or it may spread to other regions and organs in the body like the brain, liver, bones, and lungs. Blood tests, CT scans, MRIs, urine tests, and kidney tissue biopsy are used to diagnose kidney cancer. Treatment options depend on the type of kidney cancer a patient has.

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Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma is the most prevalent form of kidney cancer among the population, with around ninety percent of all cases of kidney cancer diagnosed as renal cell carcinomas. Renal cell carcinoma grows in a single mass inside of a patient's kidney in most cases but can grow as two or more separate kidney tumors as well. While renal cell carcinomas are typically found when they have already grown to a large size, the majority of cases are diagnosed before the kidney cancer has metastasized to other organs or regions of the patient's body. The survival rate of five years following a renal cell carcinoma diagnosis is around seventy percent in cases where cancer had not spread beyond the kidney. Symptoms that occur in renal cell carcinoma include hematuria, fatigue, excessive hair growth, persistent side pain, appetite loss, weight loss, vision issues, and a lump in the abdomen. Ultrasounds of the kidney, CT scans, blood testing, urine testing, and kidney tissue biopsy are used to help a physician diagnose renal cell carcinoma. First-line treatment for renal cell carcinoma is surgery, but treatment may also include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation therapy, and biologic therapy.

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Transitional Cell Carcinoma

Transitional cell carcinoma is an uncommon form of kidney cancer that may also be referred to as urothelial carcinoma. Only between five and ten percent of all cases of kidney cancer are diagnosed as transitional cell carcinomas. This type of kidney cancer originates in the cells that make up the tissue of the renal pelvis. The renal pelvis is a structure urine flows through following the kidney but before entering the ureter. These cells are referred to as transitional cells because they have the unique ability to stretch and change shape without bursting or becoming damaged. Individuals who smoke cigarettes, have a history of bladder cancer, take pain medication regularly, and are exposed to chemicals in textiles, rubber, leather goods, and plastics are more likely to develop transitional cell carcinoma than others. Surgery is the most widely used form of treatment for transitional cell carcinoma patients. Despite the low prevalence of this form of kidney cancer, ninety percent of all transitional cell carcinoma cases can be cured when they are detected before spreading beyond the urinary tract.

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Wilms' Tumor

Wilms' tumor is a form of kidney cancer that primarily affects young children. Around ninety percent of all childhood kidney cancer cases are diagnosed as Wilms' tumor. The average age of diagnosis is between three and four years old, and this form of kidney cancer is rarely seen in children over five years old. Wilms' tumors tend to grow in just one kidney or are considered unilateral. Only between five and ten percent of affected children have Wilms' tumor that is bilateral or affects both of their kidneys. The exact causes of Wilms' tumor are not known, but hereditary genetic factors and specific congenital syndromes are known to play a role in some cases. Symptoms include a palpable abdominal mass, abdominal pain, swelling in the abdomen, hematuria, constipation, fever, vomiting, nausea, appetite loss, breathlessness, and high blood pressure. Diagnosis is made with urine, blood, and diagnostic imaging tests. Treatment for Wilms' tumor is individualized and may include surgical excision, kidney removal, chemotherapy, and or radiation therapy.

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Lymphoma

Lymphoma in the kidney or primary renal lymphoma describes a type of cancerous tumor beginning in an individual's kidney that is the result of the proliferation of lymphoid cells. Primary renal lymphoma is a form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and is characterized by an absence of lymphatic disease beyond the patient's kidneys. Less than one percent of all types of cancerous kidney lesions are diagnosed as lymphoma. The process of primary renal lymphoma development is not entirely clear, but it is thought that cancer originates in the renal capsule before moving to the renal parenchyma. The most prevalent risk factor for primary renal lymphoma is the presence of chronic infectious or inflammatory diseases such as Sjogren's syndrome, Epstein-Barr virus, pyelonephritis, or systemic erythematous lupus. Most individuals diagnosed with primary renal lymphoma are men and close to sixty years old. Primary renal lymphoma is usually a unilateral form of kidney cancer, as bilateral primary renal lymphoma is very rare. Kidney tissue biopsy, blood testing, and diagnostic imaging are used to make a primary renal lymphoma diagnosis. The first-line treatment usually includes systemic chemotherapy.

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Sarcoma

Renal sarcoma is a type of kidney cancer that begins in the mesenchymal cells of the kidney, the cells that form connective tissues. Several types of sarcomas can develop in the kidney, but the most common are liposarcomas, leiomyosarcomas, fibrosarcoma, osteosarcoma, angiosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and malignant fibrous histiocytoma. The perisinuous space and the organ capsule are the most prevalent origination point of renal sarcomas. Because these types of tumors have developed from connective tissue cells, they have a greater ability to cross fascial anatomical boundaries to other organs. These renal tumors grow at a rapid rate and often spread to the lymph nodes, lungs, and or liver. Hematuria, flank pain, and a palpable flank mass are the symptoms that typically present in renal sarcoma. Urine tests, blood tests, angiography, CT scans, and kidney tissue biopsy are utilized to make a renal sarcoma diagnosis. Because this type of kidney cancer is more aggressive than others, most patients will need surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy at some point.