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