Kidney Cancer

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs covered with a thin red-brown capsule. The kidneys are located in the posterior part of the upper abdomen. They are protected against external influences by the back muscles and lower rib bones. The kidneys filter waste and toxic substances, excess minerals and water from the blood and remove them from the body. After the urine is filtered from the blood by the kidneys and formed, it reaches the bladder (urinary bag) through the hollow urinary tube called the ureter. Urine collected in the bladder is thrown out of the body through another hollow urethra called the urethra.

Risk factors :

As with many other types of cancer, the cause of kidney cancer has not yet been fully elucidated. Studies in patients with kidney cancer have shown that some factors may pose a risk. These can be summarized as follows;

• Cigarette
• Obesity
• Long-term exposure to certain chemicals
• Some hereditary diseases (such as Von-Hippel Lindau Syndrome, hereditary papillary renal cell carcinoma, Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome)
• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• In addition, having a relative with kidney cancer in the family increases the risk of developing kidney cancer.

Symptoms:

The most common symptoms of kidney cancer are:

• Seeing blood in the urine
• unexplained lower back pain
• Weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss
• unexplained fever
• Anemia (Anemia)

Diagnosis:

The methods and tests that can be used in the diagnosis of kidney cancer are as follows;

• Urine and blood tests
• Visualization of the urinary tract with IVP (Intravenous Pyelogram)
• “Angiography” that enables the visualization of kidney vessels
• Imaging methods such as X-ray film, MRI, Ultrasonography
• “Fine needle aspiration biopsy” performed simultaneously with imaging methods

Treatment:

The treatment of each patient differs, and multiple factors such as the location of the disease, the stage of the disease, the age of the patient and other health problems are effective in the treatment decision. These treatments, which require a multidisciplinary study, include different options such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy.