| Kidney cancer is a type of cancer that | | | | loss in weight. |
| effects your kidneys, which are located | | | | |
| behind your stomach, in your lower back just | | | | Some people can tend to see weight loss as a |
| below your ribs. There are two of them and | | | | blessing. Particularly weight loss that has |
| they are each about the size of your fist. | | | | occurred through no effort. Sudden |
| They are important organs and you can exist | | | | unaccounted for weight loss however is a |
| with only one kidney but if you lose them | | | | symptom of many types of cancer and diseases. |
| both, that is not the case. Your kidneys are | | | | So unless a person has made an effort to lose |
| part of the urinary system and serve an | | | | weight, it is wise to view unaccounted for |
| important part in the process of waste | | | | weight loss, particularly large weight loss |
| removal in your body. | | | | that occurs suddenly, with some measure of |
| | | | concern. Another symptom of kidney cancer is |
| They are also part of the process of red | | | | back pain that doesn't seem to go away. |
| blood cell production and work to control | | | | |
| blood pressure. Each kidney is a package of | | | | Like so many other cancers, an early |
| many small filtering units, called | | | | detection is a key to a full recovery. The |
| "nephrons". Kidney transplants are a fairly | | | | longer a cancer, like kidney cancer, remains |
| common operation now and it is possible for a | | | | undetected the better the chance it has to |
| person to donate one of their kidneys and | | | | spread to other parts of your body. When a |
| live the rest of their lives, using the one | | | | cancer spreads to another part of your body |
| remaining kidney. Just like any other organ | | | | it is said to "metastasize". If detected |
| in your body, your kidneys can develop | | | | early though, the chances for a full recovery |
| cancer. | | | | are very good. There are several forms of |
| | | | treatment for kidney cancer and what stage |
| In its early stages, kidney cancer very | | | | the cancer is in, can be a major |
| rarely shows any symptoms, so unless it is | | | | determinating factor in what type of |
| detected by a doctor, by a urinalysis test, | | | | treatment is used to attack the cancer. |
| the chances of a person noticing anything | | | | |
| unusual, or out of the ordinary, relating to | | | | In the past, surgery for kidney cancer |
| the cancer, are very slim. Children and | | | | involved the removal of the entire kidney. |
| adults tend to develop two different types of | | | | Research has led to a change of procedure in |
| kidney cancer. The type that adults are most | | | | recent years. It was determined that by |
| likely to develop is called (renal | | | | removing only the tumor and leaving the |
| adenocarcinoma) and the type of kidney cancer | | | | kidney intact, when it was possible, the |
| that children are most likely to develop is | | | | patient faced a lesser chance of kidney |
| called (Wilm's tumor). | | | | failure and an increased quality of life |
| | | | after the treatment. |
| In its later stages, when it generally does | | | | |
| start to show some physical symptoms, these | | | | Another type of treatment for kidney cancer |
| symptoms will tend to be as follows. | | | | is referred to as "arterial embolization". |
| Noticeable blood in the urine. It is possible | | | | This is a procedure where the vessel that |
| to have blood in your urine in such small | | | | supplies blood to the cancerous kidney is |
| quantity that it is not noticeable to the | | | | blocked. Other treatments include radiation |
| naked eye. Small amounts of blood can be | | | | therapy and chemo therapy and immunotherapy, |
| detected by a doctor by testing the urine for | | | | which uses your bodies own immune system to |
| blood. Another symptom of kidney cancer is a | | | | fight the cancer. |