Kidney Cancer

What is kidney cancer?

Kidney cancer is a serious disease that causes the cells in your kidneys to divide uncontrollably and destroy the surrounding healthy tissue. There are several types of kidney cancer, but the most common is renal cell carcinoma. 

Thanks to modern diagnostic techniques like computed tomography (CT) scans, kidney cancer is becoming easier to diagnose. When caught in the early stages, it’s possible to address kidney tumors and prevent them from spreading to other parts of your body.

What are the symptoms of kidney cancer?

In the early stages of the disease, kidney cancer rarely presents symptoms. As it progresses, common telltale signs of kidney cancer include:

• Blood in your urine
• Ongoing pain in your lower back or side 
• Unexplained weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue

If you have kidney cancer, you might also experience a fever that comes and goes. 

What are the risk factors for kidney cancer?

Kidney cancer affects people of all ages, genders, and races. However, certain factors may increase your risk, including:

• Being middle-aged or older
• Smoking cigarettes
• Being overweight or obese
• High blood pressure
• Exposure to certain chemicals at work
• History of Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome

Kidney cancer also tends to run in families. If your parents or grandparents had kidney cancer, your risks are higher.

What is the process for diagnosing kidney cancer?

To diagnose kidney cancer, your Vascular and Interventional Associates provider conducts a physical exam, asks about your symptoms, and reviews your medical history. After gathering this information, they order blood and urine tests or diagnostic imaging to gain further insights.

If these screening procedures detect any unusual or abnormal growths, your provider might also recommend a surgical biopsy to test for the presence of cancerous cells. This usually isn’t necessary, though.

What is the process of treating kidney cancer?

Treatment for kidney cancer depends on your overall health, the type of kidney cancer you have, and if it's spread to other parts of your body. 

If you have an aggressive type of kidney cancer, your provider might recommend an operation like a nephrectomy, which involves removing the affected kidney altogether, or a partial nephrectomy, which involves removing a portion of your affected kidney.

For less advanced kidney cancer, the physicians of Vascular and Interventional Associates can treat your tumor with image-guided, targeted, minimally-invasive procedures such as cryo-ablation (freezing the tumor) or radio-frequency ablation (burning the tumor) using special probes. Our physicians pioneered the use of minimally invasive kidney cancer treatments in the region. You can expect shorter recovery times, less pain, and less risk of complications with our treatments in comparison to open surgery.

To make an appointment for kidney cancer at Vascular and Interventional Associates, call the office or book online today.