Kidney cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers in both men and women. For men, the lifetime risk of developing kidney cancer is about 1 in 46. For women, the lifetime risk is about 1 in 82. There are about 73,000 new cases of kidney cancer diagnosed per year and about 15,000 deaths.
Most individuals diagnosed with kidney cancer are between the ages of 65 and 74. Kidney cancer is more common in African Americans and American Indian/Alaska Natives.
Risk Factors
Individuals are at greater risk of obtaining kidney cancer if they:
- Smoke
- Are older
- Are male
- Have a family history of kidney cancer
- Are obese
- Are African American or American Indian/Alaska Native
- Have high blood pressure
- Have been exposed to certain substances in the workplace, such as trichloroethylene
- Have been diagnosed with other conditions, such as:
- von Hippel-Lindau disease
- Hereditary papillary renal cell carcinoma
- Hereditary leiomyoma-renal cell carcinoma
- Birt-Hogg-Dube (BHD) syndrome
- Familial renal cancer
- Cowden syndrome
- Tuberous sclerosis
It is difficult to determine how much a single risk factor contributes to kidney cancer; some individuals with kidney cancer may have few or no known risk factors.
Symptoms
Symptoms of kidney cancer can include:
- Back pain
- Low back pain on one side
- A mass, or lump, on the side or lower back
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
- Persistent fever not caused by an infection
- Anemia
Types of Kidney Cancer
There are several different types of kidney cancer which include renal cell carcinoma, transitional cell carcinoma, Wilms tumors, renal sarcoma and lymphoma.
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer and is classified by a disease which involves the meat of the kidney, making up about 85% to 90% of all kidney cancers.
Currently, the WHO has identified up to 18 different subtypes of RCC, the most common subtypes being: clear cell, papillary (types 1&2), chromophobe, collecting duct, and oncocytoma.
Wilms tumors and renal sarcoma are the two least common types of kidney tumors. Wilms tumors account for an estimated 5% to 6% of kidney tumors and are generally found in children. Renal sarcoma kidney cancer occurs in the connective tissue of the kidney and is extremely rare.
Benign tumors are non-cancerous but can lead to health problems. The three types of benign tumors are renal adenoma, oncocytoma, and angiomyolipoma.
Treatment
The stage of the cancer will determine which treatment option is most appropriate. Kidney cancer may be treated with a minimally invasive approach such as robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, or laparoscopic and percutaneous kidney cryoablation.
After a patient has been diagnosed with kidney cancer, a biopsy may be taken to help create a targeted treatment strategy. Treatment may involve performing a minimally invasive partial nephrectomy through keyhole incisions or cyroablation to treat and kill cancer cells with cold or heat energy. Other treatments can include radiation therapy, immunotherapy, targeted drug treatment, and clinical trials.
A partial nephrectomy can also be performed using the da Vinci Surgical System. A robot assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy offers greater precision in removing cancer tissue, while preserving as much kidney function as possible. This treatment option has been highly successful and has a much lower risk of complication, compared to other treatments.
Another treatment option for patients with kidney cancer is laparoscopic and percutaneous kidney cryoablation. During this procedure, thin needle-like probes are inserted directly into the kidney tumors to destroy them with cold or hot temperatures. Cryoablation is a minimally invasive procedure that allows patients to go home on the same day without any visible scarring.
