Warning signs of kidney cancer

Currently, Vietnam does not have complete statistics on the number of people with kidney cancer, but it ranks third among all cancers of the urinary system.

The disease has four stages of development, and statistically, the 5-year survival rate for patients who have had a kidney removed is 60-85% in stage 1, 80% in stage 2, 30-35% in stage 3, and 3% in stage 4.

Signs of kidney cancer

Normal kidney (left) and cancerous kidney (right)

The early signs of the disease are often unclear, with up to 40% of cases being detected through routine health checkups. However, at a certain stage, patients will exhibit typical symptoms such as:

Blood in urine

This is the most typical manifestation of kidney cancer. Patients with hematuria experience continuous, painless spasms, and the total amount of blood in the urine is visible to the naked eye.

This condition can be prolonged or short-lived depending on the stage of the disease. If bleeding lasts for a long time, it may be accompanied by abdominal pain in the kidney area due to blood clots in the ureter.

Kidney pain

This is commonly seen in people with end-stage disease, when the tumors grow large and press on the renal cysts. Lower back pain may also be felt due to the tumors having invaded a wider area.Approximately 50% of patients with kidney cancer experience this symptom.

A tumor has appeared.

One-third to one-quarter of patients diagnosed with kidney cancer have tumors in the areas surrounding the kidneys. A concerning aspect is that these tumors often develop hidden, only becoming detectable during examination once they reach a certain size.

If a person with kidney cancer can feel lumps around the kidney area with their own hands, it indicates that the kidney cancer is in an advanced stage.

Pain radiating to the lower back

Systemic manifestations

Statistics show that approximately 10-40% of people with kidney cancer experience the aforementioned syndromes due to side effects caused by the tumors.In addition, other accompanying symptoms may include: high ESR, elevated blood glucose levels, hypertension, fever, weight loss, and anemia. Approximately 2-3% of these individuals suffer from venous insufficiency or varicose veins.

Symptoms of kidney cancer that has metastasized

Approximately 10% of people with kidney cancer are diagnosed due to metastasis. Of all newly diagnosed patients, up to 30% have metastasis.Therefore, specialists advise us to have regular health checkups to detect diseases early and receive timely treatment.

Those who notice any of the following three signs: blood in the urine, kidney pain, and the appearance of a lump, should see a doctor immediately.Because the majority of people with kidney cancer only exhibit one or two of the above symptoms, only about 10% have all three.

Treatment methods

Treatment principles:

ButThe method of choice is nephrectomy with lymph node dissection, adrenalectomy with removal of perirenal fat, resection of ovarian or spermatic cord blood vessels, and total ureterectomy after removal of the venous thrombus. This is the classic method.

- Kidney removal is performed to treat symptoms in cases of severe bleeding.Metastasis to a specific location requires surgery to remove it.

- Partial nephrectomy: In cases of cancer in one kidney or small tumors.

- Renal artery embolization: For patients who are not candidates for surgery.

- Radiation therapy: Applied in cases of bone metastasis.

- Chemotherapy: Several anti-cancer chemicals have been used, but so far none have been highly effective.

- Immunotherapy: Many authors are currently using cytokines such as interferon and interleukin for treatment with fairly good results.

- Hormone therapy: Some methods use progesterone, androgens, and estrogens for treatment, but their effectiveness is unclear.

Total nephrectomy

Assign

This is the preferred method for treating kidney cancer, aiming to cure patients in early stages or to treat symptoms (pain, hematuria) in late stages. Even in cases of metastatic kidney cancer (lymph nodes, liver, brain), total nephrectomy is indicated to slow the progression of metastases and prolong the patient's life.

Principle

The surgery includes total nephrectomy with lymph node dissection, adrenalectomy, removal of perirenal fat, resection of ovarian or spermatic cord blood vessels, and total ureterectomy after removal of the venous thrombus.

This is the classic method. The incision must be wide enough to easily access the vascular pedicle and remove the entire tumor and surrounding fatty tissue, as well as the renal vessels. The most commonly used incision is a transperitoneal subcostal incision.

Atypical nephrectomy

- Kidney removal is performed to treat symptoms in cases of excessive bleeding or pain.

- Metastasis to a specific location requires surgery to remove it.

- Partial nephrectomy: in cases of cancer in one kidney or small tumors.

Blocking the renal artery

For patients who are not candidates for surgery.

Radiation

It is only a temporary treatment, applied in cases where there is metastasis to the bone, with the aim of relieving pain.

Chemotherapy

Several anticancer chemicals have been used, but so far they have not been highly effective and only provide temporary treatment.

Immunotherapy

Many authors are currently using cytokines such as interferon and interleukin to treat certain conditions effectively, but the drugs are still very expensive.

According to khoahoc.tv