What is it about ?
Kidney cancer is the presence of a malignant tumor in the kidney. The kidney can also have metastases from tumors that have appeared in other places in the body. This point is not covered in this patient guide.
It exists several types of kidney cancer. Some of them occur in children and are not detailed in this patient guide. There are also hereditary forms, but they are rather rare.
Metastases
A kidney tumor can also metastasize. Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body through lymph nodes or blood vessels. Most of the time, kidney cancer spreads to the lungs, liver and bones.
Cause
The precise cause of kidney cancer is not yet fully understood. Cancer is more common in smokers and people in excess weight.
What is its frequency?
In 2018, the Cancer Registry Foundation registered 1,844 new cases of kidney cancer in Belgium, of which 1,612 in men and 638 in women.
Kidney cancer is the 11th most common form of cancer in Belgium.
Kidney cancer can strike at any age, but especially between the ages of 50 and 701.
How to recognize it?
Most cases of kidney cancer are discovered by chance, during a ultrasound belly. Kidney tumors can go without symptoms for a long time.
The characteristic symptoms are the presence of blood in the urine and pain on the side, in the flank. In more advanced cases, a lump can sometimes be felt in the flank. Other possible symptoms are:
- A weightloss ;
- A fever ;
- Unexplained anemia;
- A big tired.
How is the diagnosis made?
Ultrasound and CT scan
If the doctor thinks of kidney cancer, he will always ask for a ultrasound. If this examination also gives a suspicion of tumor, a CT scan should confirm the diagnosis.
Additional tests
The additional examinations will allow the doctor to determine whether it is a kidney tumor or a metastasis. He will also be able to see if a kidney tumor itself has already metastasized.
The doctor removes a piece of tissue from the tumor to analyze it under a microscope (biopsy).
What can your doctor do?
Treatments
Doctor remove the tumor usually surgically. In doing so, he tries to spare as much kidney tissue as possible. He therefore only removes part of the kidney, especially if the tumor is less than 4 cm.
If you have metastasized, complete recovery is not possible. In this case, you will usually receive a chemotherapy and, possibly, a radiotherapy targeted at painful metastases in the bones. The goal of treatment is to ensure the best possible quality of life.
The evolution of treatments has made it possible to considerably lengthen the life expectancy of people with kidney cancer. After 5 years, 75% of patients are still alive.
Monitoring and control
People who have been operated on should be followed for at least 5 years. Every 3 to 6 months, they are invited to have a check-up to quickly detect possible metastases (and perhaps remove them).