Pain Medication Essays - Kidney Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma

What is Kidney Cancer? Fundamentals of Pathophysiology Professor Michael Huwe By: Debora Collard INTRODUCTION Kidney Cancer is when malignant cells form is the tissue of the kidneys. Our kidneys perform many life-sustaining roles. They keep our blood clean of wastes and excess fluid, maintain our balance of salt and minerals, regulate our blood pressure, produce renin, erythropoietin, and vitamin D for good bone health. If cancer forms in our kidneys it can also spread to other parts of our body. It is very important that we be aware of any changes in our kidneys so that we may catch this at an early stage. In this paper I hope to explain the different types of kidney cancer, understanding the risk factors, how to diagnose kidney cancer and how it is staged, treatment options and survival rates and prognosis for the disease. My father had a kidney removed with kidney cancer when I was young and I wanted to learn if I might also be at risk and if so what I need to do. TYPES OF KIDNEY CANCER Renal Cell Carcinoma Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of Kidney cancer. Malignant cells begin to develop in the lining of tubules in the kidneys, which them becomes a tumor. Like all tumors it will begin small and after a period of time it will become large, but is usually only one single mass. There have been cases where the kidney contains more than one tumor and both kidneys contain a mass. There are five subtypes of renal cell carcinoma ?Clear cell which is about 80% of RCC is where the epithelial tumors cells are pale or transparent when you look at them under a microscope. ?Papillary RCC have a distinct growth pattern of finger-like projections throughout the tumor. Some clear cell RCC can have this similar pattern, but cannot be diagnosed as papillary RCC because of other technical criteria. ?Chromophobe RCC is like clear cell, but the tumor cells have transparent cytoplasm, and have larger cells, making them look unique under a microscope. ?Collecting Duct Carcinoma (CDC) is very rare and is only about 1% of kidney cancers. It is a very fast growing cancer that develops in the distal collecting tubules, and it does not respond well to systemic therapy. ? Unclassified RCC is very rare and is not easily classified. It is a type of cancer that does not fit into any of the above listed types. Other Cancerous Kidney Tumors There are three types of other cancerous tumors; Transitional cell carcinoma, Wilms tumor and Renal sarcoma. ?Transitional cell carcinoma is known as urothelial cancer or renal pelvis. This type of cancer does not start in the kidney, but begins in the renal pelvis. It is usually caused by smoking or being exposed to certain chemical in the workplace. ?Wilm?s Tumor only happens in children and are classified as favorable (usually can be cured) and unfavorable (harder to cure). ?Renal Sarcoma is a rare type of cancers that develops in the blood vessels or connective tissue of the kidney and is also known as soft tissue cancer. These account for less than 1% of cancers. UNDERSTANDING KIDNEY CANCER RISK FACTORS Lifestyle Having a healthy lifestyle will decrease your change of getting kidney cancer. If you smoke you are increasing your chance of kidney cancer because smoking makes your arteries harden and narrows your blood vessels. This decreases the amount of blood that flows to your kidneys and keeps them from working as well. Smoking can also cause you to have high blood pressure, and this only makes it worse. If you have diabetes and you smoke you are doubling your chance of kidney cancer, because these cause you to have kidney problems even sooner. Environmental There are many thing in our environment that are not good for our body such as; Asbestos, Benzene and solvents, Cadmium (used in making batteries, plastic and other industrial items) and herbicides. Health Factors Obesity is a cause of Kidney Cancer, because it can cause you to have high blood pressure and diabetes. If you have a family history of Kidney Cancer you should be very careful and have regular checkups. Other Factors A person?s age, gender, diet and if you