kidney-cancer-information

I Am Living With One Kidney

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 19:06:26 +0100

Can you live with one kidney? Yes, you can, at least I am living with one kidney only.

Before I tell you my story and how I manage my life after my left kidney was removed because of cancer, let me make one thing very clear: there is a whole variety of reasons why people will have to learn with one kidney, such as a kidney transplant or kidney cancer for example. It all depends on your specific situation how you either need to or want to change your life after you lost one kidney. What you are going to read is my story and what I feel very comfortable with might sound strange, unbearable or whatever to you. Do whatever you think is the right thing to do, or of course, whatever is medically necessary to live your life with one kidney.

So, here is what happened to me in a nutshell. It all started with a weird kind of pain in both flanks of my lower back. And ‘weird’ meaning, I knew it wasn’t muscular even though around that time I had been doing some heavy duty work outside on our patio which required me to do strenuous physical tasks I wasn’t used to. But that pain was very different from soreness or a pinched nerve. Anyway, I decided to ignore it. Not a good idea! A few days later I urinated bood. Another few days later, there were also clots of tissue among the blood. Time to see an urologist. Long story short, my left kidney was in the process of dissolving. It was completely eaten alive by a large 7 cm tumor which has been feasting on my organ for 20 years according to the pathology. I was lucky, the renal cell carcinoma had not yet spread outside the organ but was entirely confined to my left kidney. A few months later, it was removed via a radical laparoscopic nephrectomy. That was on November 30 of 2009.

And ever since I’ve been living with one kidney. Right after the surgery it was tough, I must admit. I was actually discharged one day after the surgery. That was a stretch. I remember my wife driving me home from New York Presbyterian/Columbia University over the George Washington Bridge back to New Jersey. The pain medication began to wear off and I wasn’t miserable. But a few days later things got better. I was off work for a whole month which gave me enough time to recover.

According to my oncologist, the only thing I need to make sure is to stay hydrated. He also told me to stay away from excess amounts of potassium (which is found in larger concentrations in some foods, such as bananas for instance). But I was surprised when he told me that other than that I am free to eat or drink whatever I want to.

I personally decided to go a step further by switching to a primarily whole food plant based diet and by cutting out processed foods to the extent possible. This change in lifestyle resulted in me feeling better than ever before.
The only thing I noticed is that I sometimes get very tired without a warning. Not that I would fall asleep on the spot – I just get tired. Other than that, my life with only one kidney is as normal as it was before.

Send me an email if you have specific questions regarding how it is living with one kidney, kidney cancer, etc. and I’d be more than happy to share my experience with me.

Picture of me after my kidney cancer surgery:

What does 'lesion on kidney' mean?

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 18:33:36 +0100

Cancer is a very complex disease. I had to learn that the hard way. first my wife got diagnosed with breast cancer and later on I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. If there is one thing I came to understand is that everybody's cancer is very different. The the same applies to kidney lesions. You may have seen the expression 'lesion on kidney' on pathology reports - it wasn't on mine. My kidney was completely overshadowed by a large 7cm mass and way beyond the stage for a kidney lesion.

So basically, a lesion is and area that has been identified as abnormal tissue. The problem is, without further testing and diagnosis a kidney lesion can mean anything from "nothing to worry about" to "very serious". It depends on their exact location and their rate of growth. The truth of the matter is you might even have a kidney lesion without even knowing it. But other patients may experience symptoms that are indicative of serious conditions such as Renal Cell Cancer (kidney cancer) for example, which include, blood in the urine and a dull pain in both sides of the lower abdomen.

A kidney lesion can either be benign or malignant. Obviously, if it's malignant then there is evidence of a cancerous disease. However, it could also be a result of a trauma, kidney malfunction or infection.

Lesions are usually detected via ultrasound or a CAT-Scan. If they are cancerous there is usually also evidence of a cancerous mass in one of the kidneys. And if a chronic infection is the cause then a CAT-Scan or Ultrasound usually indicates scarring of the organ. This can lead to impairment of the kidney function and the aforementioned symptoms.

Typically, before a lesion is being detected, the patient does experience unusual signs which are then being evaluated by a health care professional. Like in my case, the first step is a urine-analysis to check on whether there is evidence of blood and or malignancy. In a next step and ultrasound or CAT-Scan will help to locate the exact location of the lesion on the kidney. However, in order to conclusively determine whether or not the abnormal tissue is cancerous, a biopsy needs to be conducted. One way to do that (and I had that done) is via a so called cystoscopy. A small tube is being inserted into the ureter. inside that tube is a camera and a medical tool that is being used to take a sample of the tissue in question. The sample is then being sent to a specialize lab for further analysis.

Once the cause of the kidney lesion is determined, the treatment options will be discussed. It the tissue came back benign, it is not uncommon for doctors to recommend a "wait and see" approach, if tolerable to the patient. If it's kidney cancer, then it will obviously all depend on the stage of the disease.

Picture of a kidney lesion:

What are the commonalities between kidney stones symptoms and kidney cancer?

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 19:35:32 +0100

When I encountered the blood in my urine alongside this weird abdominal pain, I had no idea that I would get diagnosed with kidney cancer within a matter of two weeks. My doctor, my family and my friends were convinced that those were typical kidney stones symptoms plus the fact that I was only 37 years old was another indicator leading us to believe that cancer was out of the picture. But it wasn’t.

Anyway, let’s start with some basic information about kidney stones, medically referred to as renal calculi. Kidney stones, out of all urinary diseases, is the most common one and unfortunately also associated with a lot of pain. But what are they exactly and where are they coming from?

A kidney stone is a hard and solid accumulation of crystals that gradually form in the kidneys. Most of the times those little masses pass our urinary tract and get expelled unnoticed. But in case the start to settle in one of the kidneys they can cause problems. Because after a while when they leave the kidneys and move into the ureter they ultimately block the passage. The larger and pointier the stones are, the more pain is being caused to the patient. Now here is some good news. In the vast majority of all cases, kidney stones are curable. However, in order to prevent a recurrence the patient needs to watch his diet and might have to undergo significant lifestyle changes.

What are the most common kidney stones symptoms?

While there are many symptoms of kidney stones, what we see most commonly is:

    1.    And frequent and persistent urge to urinate
    2.    Severe pain during urination
    3.    Nausea and fever
    4.    Pus in the urine, known as pyuria
    5.    Blood in the urine, called hematuria
    6.    Sever burning while urinating and passing the kidney stones

Usually, a patient who is experiencing the first symptoms of kidney stone is an acute and extreme pain as the mass is moving out of the kidney into the urinary tract and blocking the passage.

What are the causes of kidney stones?

Interestingly enough, there doesn’t seem to be a consensus among the medical community as what causes kidney stones. However, a number of factors, individually or in combination with each other, have been identified that seem to be responsible for the cause of a kidney stone, such as hereditary aspects, diet, lifestyle, etc. I on purpose will not talk about foods and beverages here since all the doctors I have asked tell seem to have different opinions. But here is a short list of kidney stones risk factors that most experts seem to agree with:

    1.    Family history of kidney stones
    2.    Being male and over 35 years of age
    3.    Dehydration
    4.    Obesity
    5.    Diets and Lifestyle, such as the consumption of high sugar, high protein and high sodium foods.
    6.    Certain medical conditions

A more comprehensive list with explanations can be found at the Mayo Clinic.

Lastly, let’s answer our initial question: is there a link between kidney stones and kidney cancer? No, there isn’t. However, the truth of the matter is some of the symptoms of kidney stones are identical with the signs of kidney cancer, for instance blood in the urine. That’s why in my case we all assumed initially that I had stones in my kidneys, but no cancer. As you know it turned out we were wrong. And that means, in general, if you encounter any of the aforementioned signs, go and get medical attention as soon as possible. The sooner you take care of the situation, the better are the chances of recovery.

The two videos below from the University of Maryland Medical Center have tons of information regarding kidney stones and kidney cancer.

What Are The Renal Cancer Survival Rates?

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:45:51 +0100

Well, what can I tell you about statistics and survival rates, or specifically the renal cell cancer survival rates? Everything is relative. And whatever you are about to learn this or any other cancer website, keep in mind: those are just numbers, and you are not a number. You don’t know in what category you fall. Later on I will give you a good example why cancer statistics are almost completely irrelevant to the individual patient, at least in my opinion.

It is only normal if you have just been diagnosed with renal cell cancer that you want to know the survival rates of your type of cancer. All cancer survival rates refer to the so called 5-year survival. It basically means the percentage of survivors of at least 5 years after their diagnosis.

Alright, let’s have a look at the official numbers, issued by the American Cancer Society.

Stage      5-Year Survival Rate for Renal Cell Cancer

I   81%
II                  74%
III                 53%
IV      8%

Good, let’s put that behind us, because you really should not get hung up on data and stats. Let me tell you why. Cancer statistics can mean anything and nothing. For instance, based on my age and overall healthy condition, there was only less than a 2% chance of me getting diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma. Yet, the blood in the urine and the dull pain in my abdomen had nothing to do with kidney stones, the more likely diagnosis in my case. No, it was kidney cancer. It was very surprising to all of us, because hey, there was only a 2% likelihood.

On the flip-side of that; I’ve met and heard of many kidney cancer patients whose cancer was found in early stages and ALL of those cases, everybody is doing great, decades after their initial diagnosis. Of course, the later a cancer is being detected, the more difficult it is to treat. But everybody is different, everybody reacts differently to cancer treatments. And especially with kidney cancer, there is so much you can do to actively boost your immune system and strengthen it in its fight against the RCC. You might have heard of immunotherapy. This whole method is solely based on exactly that concept. And if you are a skeptic, this has nothing to do with alternative cancer treatment options. Immunotherapy is a scientifically proven method and has been used for a long time by conventional oncologist in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma.

So again, have a look at the chart and then never look at it again. It’s irrelevant. Because as I said, you are not a number!

What Are The Available Metastatic RCC Medicines?

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 20:38:50 +0100

Image Courtesy of Novartis Pharameceuticals Corporation.

Link to official Afinitor website.

Among the most commonly used metastatic RCC meds are Sutent® (Sunitib) by Pfizer and Nexavar® by Bayer.
On January 26, 2006, the FDA approved Sunitinib which is marketed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer as Sutent, as a so called multi targeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), also commonly referred to as kidney cancer.

Sutent was also approved by the FDA for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) which made it the first drug being approved for two different indications at the same time.
Other metastatic RCC meds that received FDA approval include sorafenib (Nexavar), bevacizumab (Avastin), everolimus (Afinitor), interleukin-2 (Proleukin) and temsirolimus (Torisel).

Renal Cell Carcinoma does generally not respond well to chemotherapy or radiation. Usually, either the affected part of the kidney or the entire organ has to be removed through a procedure called nephrectomy. For example, when I got diagnosed with kidney cancer it was determined that my left kidney could not be saved and therefore it had to be removed laparoscopically.

In order to find out more your metastatic RCC meds and treatment options, you need to discuss your specific situation with an Oncologist. Ideally, get at least two opinions, if not three. Also, I strongly encourage you to reach out to other patients to see how they tolerated their respective metastatic RCC medication and what potential side effects they had to deal with.

I was lucky enough that my kidney cancer had not yet spread, so neither chemotherapy nor radiation was necessary. From my perspective, I can only recommend that you try to maintain a healthy lifestyle and eat the right things. This has nothing to do per se with alternative cancer treatment options – all conventional kidney cancer oncologist will attest to the fact that strengthening your immune system is of outmost importance and can be highly beneficial in the treatment of RCC.

What Are The Options For The Treatment Of Renal Cell Carcinoma?

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:44:29 +0100

The treatment of renal cell carcinoma depends on a variety of different factors, including the stage of the disease, the age of the patient, his general health and other aspects. Usually, the appropriate treatment protocol is being planned by the patient and his team of doctors.

At this point, let me pause for a minute and emphasize on the importance of getting a second (or even third) opinion. When I was diagnosed with kidney cancer, I wanted everything to be done and over with as quickly as possible. You could say I was actually rushing. My cancer was diagnosed by an urologist who had ordered me for a CAT-Scan. When the results came back and revealed a large mass in my left kidney, a cystoscopy was performed to see whether the cancer had spread or not. Fortunately, it was still confined to the kidney, which had a major impact on the treatment for my renal cell carcinoma.

My urologist also happened to be a urological surgeon, however, he was not an oncologist. My family finally convinced me to go to New York Presbyterian to have my situation reviewed by an oncologist surgeon who is specialist and laparoscopic surgery. He actually confirmed everything that my urologist had told me. This is actually one of the few examples where doctor #2 confirmed what was assessed by doctor #1. For many other cancer patients, including my wife, the situation is different because the treating health care professionals didn’t agree with each other. And that’s tricky, because obviously the way how a cancer is being diagnosed has a direct impact on its treatment.

Back to the renal cell carcinoma treatment options. The most commonly used methods are surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, biological therapy and hormone therapy. It ultimately comes down to what cell type your cancer is composed of and the factors that I mentioned earlier.

Kidney affected by Renal Cell Carcinoma

Standard methods for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma include:

Surgery — This is the most commonly used option. In the majority of cases, the whole kidney alongside the adrenal gland and connecting tissue and lymph nodes is being removed. That procedure is called nephrectomy. The second kidney will then take over for the missing on. However, the surgeon may decide to remove the part of the organ where the tumor is located.
Radiation — This treatment methods uses highly concentrated rays to target cancer cells. Radiation is usually being administered on an outpatient basis. This treatment can be highly effective, however, it also bears some side effects as the patient is being exposed to radiation, which according to many studies, can cause cancer. My wife refused radiation because her breast cancer tumor was located close to her heart and we did not want to take the risk of causing damages to the heart for obvious reasons.
Arterial embolization — This can be a very effective procedure prior to surgery. A gelatin sponge kind of material is injected to the main kidney blood vessel with the objective of depriving the tumor of getting oxygen and other substances that it needs to continue to grow. As a result the tumor will shrink.
Biologic Therapy — Also called immunotherapy. It is a form of treatment that uses the body’s natural ability (immune system) to fight cancer. Interleukin-2 and interferon are types of therapy used to treat advanced kidney cancer. Many people having biologic therapy stay in the hospital during treatment so that the side effects can be monitored. This is also referred to as immunotherapy, because the idea is to use the body’s immune system to fight the cancer. Two very common drugs that are being used are interleukin-2 and interferon.
Chemotherapy — The goal is to kill cancer cells by using special drugs. However, chemotherapy is usually not a viable option in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma.
Hormone Therapy — This is also a rather rare treatment option Used in a small number of patients with advanced kidney cancer. Some forms of renal cell carcinoma can respond to hormone therapy and therefore oncologist may consider this option in patient’s suffering from an advanced stage.

Please watch this inspiring video by Bob Gallner, a stage IV renal cell carcinoma cancer survivor:

Video Courtesy of Bob Gallner/Youtube

What Is A Kidney Stent?

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:20:45 +0100

I remember very well when my urologist told me that he will have to place a ureteral stent, commonly referred to as kidney stent, in my ureter. I was just diagnosed with kidney cancer a few weeks earlier. The blood in my urine and the dull pain I had experienced for a while turned out to be the result of a 7 cm tumor that was in the process of eating my left kidney.

I had had no idea what I was in for when I just nodded my head to my urologist’s announcement. Kidney stent – to me that sounded like a little tube, maybe a couple inches long at the most and certainly ultra-thin. Well, it turned out that my image of kidney stents was slightly off. I will tell you more in a little bit about how I dealt with that alien object inside my body before it was finally taken out again.

What is a kidney stent good for?

A kidney stent is inserted into the ureter, which is the ‘connection’ between the kidney and the bladder. Both ends of the stent are coiled in order to prevent it from moving around. Those stents are designed flexible enough so they adjusted to movements of the body. Kidney stents are anywhere between 24 to 30 centimetres long.

Before for we continue to discuss in more detail the purpose of those ureteral stents, we first need to make sure that we’re on the same page and have a good understanding of how the urinary system works in general.

All the way up top are the two kidneys. They are connected via the ureters to the bladder. The blood is being filtered in the kidneys and all the toxic waste is being flushed through the ureters down to the bladder. When the bladder is full you feel the urge to urinate. The urine is then being discharged through the urethra.

Here is a picture of the urinary tract:

Here is the problem: the ureters can become obstructed for a variety of reasons. Thus, the urine cannot be excreted which means the body cannot get rid of all the toxins that are usually being discharged when we go to the bathroom.
Okay, that obviously brings us to the next question. What are the causes that can lead to the obstruction of the ureters?

Narrowing. That means that right where the ureter connects to the kidney scarring of the tissue narrows the walls of the ureter.
Diseases. For instance, a prostate disease or tumors of the urinary system can cause the obstruction of the ureters.
Kidney Stones. A kidney stone or a part of a kidney stone can obviously block the ureter.
Following a surgical procedure. When it becomes necessary that a medical instrument has to be inserted for diagnostic purposes, the ureters get aggravated and need time to heal. A kidney stent keeps them ‘open’ to allow the urine to pass without any obstructions.

So what we just discussed under point 4) is what happened to me. After my CAT-Scan which revealed my malignant mass in my left kidney, my urologist ordered a cystoscopy, also called an ureteroscopy. In unsophisticated terms, a small tube with a camera is being inserted through the genitals up the urethra to inspect the urinary tract and find out whether or not there is any sing of cancer that has spread outside the kidney.

Of course, just the thought of having a 30 cm stent inserted into your ureter can cause some real pain. Well, imagine the actual pain of this procedure. I was so happy when I was told that I will be put under general anaesthesia.
When I woke up after the cystoscopy I had to pee very urgently. I spare you the gory details, because gory it was indeed. Thank God I still had enough pain killers in system – however, by the time we got home, they had worn off. The pain during urinating was excruciating, it was unbelievable. But after a few days it got better, I guess I simply got used to my kidney stent.

The Kidney Stent Removal

About four weeks later I was scheduled for my nephrectomy, the surgical removal of my left kidney. I remember that I re-confirmed with my surgeons that they will not forget to remove my kidney stent. By then I really had enough of that thing. The head surgeon laughed and assured me that he will take it out.

Of course having a kidney removed is no fun. However, I was really happy that the stent was finally gone. At least I felt absolutely no more pain when I had to urinate.

I found a pretty cool animated video animation of a utereal stent insertion procedure:

Link to original video.

What Are The Stages Of Renal Cell Carcinoma?

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:47:15 +0100

The stages of renal cell carcinoma are categorized through a system called Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM). Here is a short description what each letter stands for:

T: Is a descriptor of the size of the primary tumor, measured by a scale of 0 to 4.
N: Indicates whether or not the cancer has invaded lymph nodes. The scale goes from 0 to 3.
M: This unit indicates the degree to which the disease has metastasized and affected other organs.

Before we look into the different stages of renal cell carcinoma, one quick word regarding the so called 5-year-survival rates. Here is my personal opinion. Baloney!!! Why? Because a cancer patient who is still alive after 5 years after his diagnosis, is being considered cured, even though he might soon thereafter because of his disease. On the other hand, I don't want to be too harsh here. After all, we need a point of reference, and if 5 years is the magic number, so be it. However, just keep that in mind when you look at those percentages.

Stage 1 Renal Cell Carcinoma

According to the American Cancer Society, the five year survival rate for a Stage 1 Renal Cell Carcinoma is 81%. A TNM pathology of T1, N0, M0 means that the primary tumor is 7cm or less in diameter and has not spread outside the kidney. A Stage 1 Kidney Cancer is highly curable through a surgery in which a part of the kidney or the entire organ will be removed (partial or radical nephrectomy).

Stage 2 Renal Cell Carcinoma

T2, N0, M0 corresponds to a Stage 2 Renal Cell Carcinoma. It means that the tumor is larger than 7cm in diameter, but still confined to the kidney. The survival rate for a Stage 2 Kidney Cancer is 74%, according to the American Cancer Society. Like Stage 1 and since the cancer hasn't spread yet, the situation can be taken under control through surgery.

Stage 3 Renal Cell Carcinoma

T3, N0, M0 (or T1-T3, N1, M0) means that the tumor has spread, either to a nearby lymph node or a vein. A Stage 3 renal cell carcinoma treatment is much more difficult and the 5 year survival rate is 53 %.

Stage 4 Renal Cell Carcinoma

A Stage 4 Renal Cell Carcinoma is the most difficult to treat form of kidney cancer, because at this point the disease had metastasized and invaded other organs. After 5 years, only 8% of all patients with Stage 4 Renal Cell Carcinoma are still alive. Oncologist may try to treat the cancer with chemotherapy and radiation; however, those treatment options only have limited success.

Afinitor is one of drugs that is being used to treat patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

As with all cancers, the sooner it is being detected the better are the chances of success. Even though my entire left kidney had to be removed through a laparoscopic radical nephrectomy, I was fortunate enough that the cancer was still confined to the kidney.

What is transitional cell carcinoma of the kidney?

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:11:58 +0100

The so called transitional cell carcinoma of the kidney (TCC), also referred to as renal urothelial carcinoma (UC), is the least common form of kidney cancer. It only accounts for approximately seven percent of all kidney cancer diagnoses.

The cure rates for transitional cell carcinoma are roughly 90% as long as the cancer is confined to the center of the kidney, also know as renal pelvis. However, and like many other malignant diseases, the cure rates decrease drastically once the cancer has spread and in cases of TCC the numbers to down to 10 percent.

(Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Kidney, Photo Credit pathconsultddx.com)

What are the causes of transitional cell carcinoma?

TCC is defined by different cell structures that are connected to each other. Transitional cell carcinoma originates in the renal pelvis lining, the bladder or the ureter. The causes of kidney cancer are not known. At this point there is simply not enough data available to conclusively link back the development of this diseases to concrete causes, however, there are a number of risk factors of transitional cell carcinoma which have been identified:

Age: The vast majority of new cases of transitional cell carcinoma is diagnosed in patients at the age of 60 to 70 years.
Ethnicity: Caucasians are more likely to develop TCC than any other ethnic group.Exposure to chemicals and toxins, including asbestos:
Exposure certain materials have been linked to an increased risk of developing TCC, such as asbestos fibers, textiles, rubbers, plastics.
Gender: Males are three times more likely to get TCC than women.
Medication Abuse: For instance, the abuse of medicines and over the counter drugs fro a prolonged time.
Smoking.

What are the symptoms Transitional Cell Carcinoma?

The symptoms of transitional cell carcinoma may lay dormant for years or even decades. This is yet again a typical aspect that the various forms of kidney cancers have in common. But as the mass grows they become more apparent. Those symptoms include:

Pain in the flanks, which occurs in 20 to 50 percent of all cases
Blood in the urine. This is also known as Hematuria.

How is the diagnosis of Transitional Cell Carcinoma done?

There are different test that an oncologist can use in order to diagnose TCC:

CT-Scans and Ultrasounds. These tests are used to get a better idea of the location of the tumor and create a visual image of the situation, in other words, the size of the mass and if there is anything else suspicious going on.
Urine Test. This is also called a urine cytology, which is essentially a lab test in order to detect cancer cells in the urine. However, it is important to understand that even if this test comes back clear - which was the case for me - that does not automatically mean that you don't have cancer. Further testing will be necessary, however, it is usually a good sign in general and an indication that most likely the cancer hasn't spread yet.
Ureteroscopy. A small tube is being inserted through the ureter to visually exam the bladder, ureter and pelvis. NO FUN, believe me. They knocked me out for that and I was very grateful that they did.

The Treatment of Transitional Cell Carcinoma

There is basically only one traditional treatment option for transitional cell carcinoma in its early stage and that is surgery.

Usually, a nephrectomy is being performed. A radical nephrectomy is the surgical removal of the kidney. If parts of the kidney can be saved, a partial nephrectomy is the preferred option. Nowadays, this procedure can be done with the help of a robot that is being controlled by a surgeon. This procedure is called laparoscopy significantly less invasive and allows the patients to recover quickly. I had a laparoscopic radical nephrectomy and done I was released from the hospital one day after the procedure.

New Treatment Options for Transitional Cell Carcinoma

Currently, there are numerous clinical trials undergoing to try out new treatments for TCC.

Laser Assisted Surgery: A laser device is being used to cut out or destroy cancerous cells.
Fulguration: A device that uses an electric current to burn out the tumor.
Regional Chemotherapy in combination with Biologic Therapy: A combination of certain drugs is being administered to reduce the growth of the tumor. Unlike conventional chemotherapy, these drugs are being directly placed into the affected area, and therefore have less of a negative effect on the patient;s immune system.

What are the signs of bone metastases in renal cell carcinoma?

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:48:25 +0100

Renal cell carcinoma, like so many other forms of cancer, is known for its long latency period. There are basically no early warning signs which must in large part be attributed to the existence of a second functional kidney. In my case for instance, my left kidney was completely consumed by a large mass and basically in the process of dissolving, however since my right kidney was perfectly fine, I did not encounter any symptoms of renal cell carcinoma up until the point I peed blood. According to the pathology report, my kidney cancer could have been as old as 20 years already. And this explains why a high proportion of patients don't encounter any early warning signs of bone metastases in renal cell carcinoma. Which unfortunately results in a situation of bone metastases being already present at the time of diagnosis.

Most commonly, RCC (renal cell carcinoma) metastasizes through the veins and form by the bones, in the lung, liver and brain. Today's modern imaging devices allow to earlier detect a metastatic dissemination than in the past. But again, since the patient usually doesn't encounter any symptoms, he has no reason to get a scan done.

Not too long ago, patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma of the bones had a rather poor outlook on survival. This was due to the fact that the traditional treatment options, including radiation therapy had only very limited success treating later stages of kidney cancer.
The data that was collected over the past two decades indicated that surgery, the removal of the mass alongside its surrounding tissue, was a viable renal cell carcinoma treatment option to improve the quality of life of patients.

The vast majority of patients with renal cell carcinoma metastasis does not need a surgical procedure. Primarily, the goal of a surgery is to control the local tumor by retaining the patient's quality of life to the extent possible. With that being said, surgery is not a guarantee that the kidney cancer will never come back. Further to that, the outcome may result in the patient experiencing an increased amount of pain, need for follow up surgery and significant functional impairment.

Signs of bone metastases in renal cell carcinoma may in extreme cases require the amputation of an extremity. For the majority of patients with RCC bone metastases, a successful surgical intervention will result in pain relief, local tumor control and satisfying functional outcome.