Kidney cancer is also known as renal cancer and it is a disease where kidney cells become malignant, cancerous, and eventually grow out of control and form a tumor. Pretty much all kidney cancers are first known to appear in the tubules (lining of tiny tubes) in the kidney.

The bean-shaped organ, each nearly the size of the fist, lies in the lower abdomen on both sides of the spine. They perform the crucial role of cleaning blood, removing waste products and making urine. When a person gets cancer in the kidneys, their prognosis entirely depends on the general health as well as the stage of cancer.

Here are the various stages of kidney cancer:

Stage I
The cancer is present only in the kidney and it is about 7 centimeters or even smaller.

Stage II
The size is more than 7 centimeters now but it is still contained the kidneys.

Stage III
The tumor is not only in the kidney but has spread to the nearby lymph nodes, or it is in the kidney’s main blood vessel and also spread to the nearby lymph node. Additionally, it can also be in the fatty tissue around the kidney or extend to the major veins. However, it will not spread to the ipsilateral adrenal gland.

Stage IV
Here, the cancer spreads beyond the fatty tissue around the kidney. It can also spread to other organs like the pancreas or the lungs. There is also a high possibility of it spreading to the area beyond the adrenal gland.

What are the treatment options available?

• Once the stage has been diagnosed, the doctor will advise one on the right treatment option. It is believed that kidney cancer is one of the common types of cancer.
• In most cases, surgery is the first step. However, the doctors might recommend extra treatment to kill any remaining cancer cells that may not be seen.

Depending on how advanced the cancer is, the main types of surgery for kidney cancers are:

Radical nephrectomy
This is a surgery where the kidney, adrenal gland, and the surrounding tissues are removed. Sometimes the nearby lymph nodes are also removed. It is a common surgery and can be done with a small incision with a laparoscope.

Simple nephrectomy
This is a surgery where the kidneys are removed.

Partial nephrectomy
The kidneys and surrounding tissues are removed. This type of surgery is largely used for patients with small tumors (essentially stage – I), where the size of the tumor is less than 7 centimeters. In such cases, doing radical nephrectomy may unnecessarily hurt the patient.

To summarise, if the cancer is found only in one kidney, one can always survive with the other. However, if cancer has spread in both the kidneys, one will need a procedure called dialysis to clean one’s blood or undergo a kidney transplant.