Cancer is generally a terminal health condition that occurs due to the unnatural growth of cells in the body wherein an individual suffers from intense pain, causing severe dysfunction. It is a disease that can occur in most body parts, causing severe damage. Kidney cancer is a type of cancer that is a major concern because of the rising number of cases worldwide.
Table of Contents:
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Causes of Kidney Cancer
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Signs and Symptoms of Kidney Cancer
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Diagnosis of kidney cancer
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The Bottom line
Causes of Kidney Cancer
Kidney cancer does not have a fixed cause, but there are certain risk factors that are responsible for causing the disease. Smoking, Obesity radiation therapy, long-term dialysis treatment, and high blood pressure are the most common causes of kidney cancer. Also, if an individual’s family member had been a kidney patient in the past, then the chances of such individuals having love kidney cancer are high.
Signs and Symptoms of Kidney Cancer
Symptoms of kidney cancer may or may not be apparent in the early stages but still can be identified if observed carefully.
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Intense pain in the back or sides: Individuals who feel intense pain in their back or sides between the ribs and the hips might be kidney cancer patients. Even the pain in the lower back is also a symptom of the disease; if one keeps getting this pain, then see the doctor and get the cancer tests done to avoid future complications.
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Blood in the urine: A patient suffering from kidney cancer usually has a high amount of blood in their body, which results in changing the color of their urine when they pee, appearing pink or dark brown.
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Lump in the flank area: If an individual feels a lump or mass in the kidney area, then it is a serious symptom of the cancer, and one should see a doctor. However, there are times when these lumps are too small to be noticed by patients or even doctors, for which ultrasounds can be tried.
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Loss of appetite and weight loss: Individuals may often lose their appetite due to pain, sickness, or breathlessness. Since one feels extremely tired or fed-up eating food, this is mostly observed in the advanced stages of cancer, aligned with the other common symptoms like fever, body pain, stomach ache, and fatigue.
Diagnosis of kidney cancer
There are four stages of kidney cancer, which are diagnosed after certain tests like ultrasound, CT Scan, biopsy, and urine tests. After which, the treatment usually begins with the removal of cancer via surgical (Nephrectomy) or non-surgical (cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation) treatments.
The Bottom line
Kidney cancer is the type of cancer that needs to be observed carefully based on its symptoms as it spreads faster and shows its major symptoms after it has reached stage II or above. Like other types, this cancer is also curable in its early stages before it breaks through the outer covering of the kidney. One must be aware and pay attention to the symptoms and address them as early as possible.
FAQ on Kidney Cancer
What are the symptoms of a benign kidney mass?
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Blood in urine
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Flank pain between the ribs and hips
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Fever that is not caused by an infection and does not go away
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Weight loss not caused by dieting
How quickly do kidney tumors grow?
Kidney tumors generally have an average growth rate of about 0.3 cm per year.
Is a kidney tumor curable?
A kidney tumor can be cured if it is diagnosed and treated before it wide spreads internally.
Can you survive a kidney tumor?
If treated initially, people survive kidney tumors.
