PT Health Life – The man had abdominal pain, aches and pains and blood in urine… went to the hospital and was diagnosed by doctors with a kidney tumor about 8cm large. Pathology showed clear cell kidney cancer results…
1. Early detection of kidney cancer
Kidney cancer is a malignant lesion of the kidney, accounting for about 3% of adult cancers. The disease is more common in men than women. The cause of kidney cancer is not really clear. Some risk factors for the disease have been shown to include: smoking, exposure to asbestos and tanning industry chemicals, polycystic kidneys,…
Common kidney cancer symptoms:
Renal cell cancer has a very rich and diverse clinical picture. The disease can progress slowly and when typical symptoms appear, it is often in the late stages.
Common symptoms of kidney cancer include:
- Blood in urine: This is a common symptom, accounting for 80% of cases. Complete hematuria, may go away on its own and then recur, no fever.
- Low back pain: Patients often feel a dull pain in the lower back due to the tumor stretching the kidney capsule.
- Lumbar tumor: Lumbar signs are often seen when the kidney tumor is large.
In addition, patients may have symptoms of paracancerous syndromes such as prolonged fever, weight loss, polycythemia, hypertension, hypercalcemia, etc.
Therefore, when patients have suspicious symptoms, they need to go to a medical facility for early diagnosis. Patients may be prescribed ultrasound and computed tomography of the urinary system.
Kidney cancer, if left undiagnosed, can affect the whole body. Possible complications include: Weight loss, excessive hematuria, ruptured kidney tumor causing acute bleeding.
The patient’s prognosis depends largely on the stage of the disease when detected. In the early stages, the 5-year survival rate is about 60-80%, in the late stages, this rate drops to 15-20%, and when there is metastasis, this rate is even lower.
2. How to treat kidney cancer?
Choosing a kidney cancer treatment method depends on the stage of the disease in which surgery plays a major role.
- Early stages when the cancer is still localized: Total nephrectomy is considered a radical and effective treatment method. Partial nephrectomy is indicated in some cases. Currently, nephrectomy can be performed through traditional open surgery or through laparoscopy or retroperitoneum. Ipsilateral adrenalectomy is indicated when there are signs of invasion.
- Late stage cancer with metastasis: usually progresses rapidly with a 5-year survival rate of less than 10%. Surgical treatment at this time is not a radical treatment but has a limited role. The main purpose is to stop bleeding, reduce pain for the patient, and limit some paracancerous syndromes. In cases where kidney cancer has only one metastatic location, surgery is very effective when combined with other treatment methods.
3. Disease prevention and post-treatment monitoring
Kidney cancer prevention is mainly about controlling risk factors including:
- No smoking.
- Avoid chemical exposure.
- Good control of systemic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
- Correct and timely treatment of urinary system diseases such as urinary infections, urinary stones, kidney failure, etc.
- Regular health check-ups detect injuries early.
After treatment, patients will be monitored by clinical examination and paraclinical examination, usually re-examined after 3 months in the first year. When re-examined, the patient will be examined clinically. Paraclinical tests include urinalysis, urinary system ultrasound, blood chemistry tests, etc.