What are Kidney Tumors?
The human body has two kidneys that filter the blood of waste and excrete it out of the body as urine. When abnormal growth of kidney cells occurs it is called a kidney tumor. The tumor may besmall and confined to the kidney, grow into nearby organs, or spread throughout the body. Not all masses of the kidney are cancer, but most are. Smoking, hypertension, obesity and a family history of kidney cancer may increase the risk of developing cancerous cells.
Symptoms of Kidney Tumors
Tumors of the kidney may not produce symptoms immediately but may be detected during the evaluation of another problem or a regular check-up. The spread of the tumor into the neighboring organs causes symptoms such as blood in the urine, fever, anemia, and tiredness, high blood calcium and blood pressure. Depending on the organ it spreads to, kidney cancer can cause other related symptoms.
Treatment for Kidney Tumor
The treatment options for tumors of kidney depend on the size and location of the tumor. Tumors that have spread beyond the kidney usually cannot be treated surgically and require chemotherapy or immunotherapy.
Surgical Treatments
Partial Nephrectomy – tumors that are small and in an appropriate location can be removed with a thin rim of kidney tissue. This surgery spares the kidney and is preferred when possible. Possible risk of this surgery including need to remove the entire kidney, leakage of urine from the kidney, and any normal risks of surgery. This surgery is most often performed using a surgical robot through laparoscopic incisions.
Radical Nephrectomy – larger tumors or those in unfavorable location might require removal of the entire kidney. This is usually done laparoscopically (through small incisions). Removing the kidney slightly increases the life-long risk of dialysis, although the overall risk is still very low.
Thermal Ablation – tumors that are small and located in appropriate location can be destroyed using extreme cold or high temperatures. This is delivered using small needles inserted under local anesthesia. Tumors treated in this way are more likely to recur, but studies have shown overall survival to be similar to patients treated with surgery.