Renal Cell Carcinoma, also known as kidney cancer, is a tumor that originates on the proximal convoluted tubules of kidneys that causes an array of symptoms. Symptoms of renal cancer include abdominal pain and distension (swelling), back pain, hematuria (blood in urine), swelling of the veins around a testicle, flank pain and significant weight loss. Symptoms that could occur after onset of the disease include excessive hair growth in females, pale skin, and vision problems. Upon physical examination by a trained physician, a patient may have what is caused CVA tenderness, where the area in the back where the kidneys are located are tender to light palpation.
Although the exact cause is unknown, there are many risk factors that, when compounded, increase the likelihood of kidney cancer. Risk factors include being male between the ages of 50-70. dialysis patients, any family history of the disease, hypertension, smoking, horseshoe kidney (or when the patients kidney's fuse together and form the shape of a horseshoe), and polycystic kidney disease (hereditary disorder in which many cysts form in kidneys.
Kidney cancer can be confirmed through several different tests, the most effective being an abdominal CT. However, blood tests to measure blood chemistry and complete blood count (CBC) are also very effective. Tests to measure hepatic function are effective at measuring elevated or abnormal enzyme activity, and to live imaging of the abdomen and kidney by Ultrasound is effective while limiting exposure to radiation.
There are also four different stages of Renal Cell Cancer. In Stage I, the tumor is 7 centimeters or smaller and is found only in the kidney. In Stage II, the tumor is larger than 7 centimeters but is still only found in the kidney. In Stage III however, the tumor can be any size and cancer can be found in the kidney, in the main blood vessels or the layer of fatty tissue surrounding the kidney, or in 1 or more nearby lymph nodes. Stage IV is the most severe stage, where cancer has spread beyond the layer of fatty tissue around the kidney and may be found in the adrenal gland above the kidney, the lymph nodes, in the lungs, liver, bones or even brain .
Anthropology has an interesting effect on this disease like it does on any other patient where cancer is involved. Because there is no universal cure, often times the best approach by a physician is to incorporate all they can when treating that patient, including culture, traditions, and beliefs. The treatment options for a patient are only as advanced as the society and environment they find themselves in, which is influential in treatment. Another interesting treatment option for people with terminal cancer are camps, where patients can meet other cancer patients, and bond over their shared experience.
Although the exact cause is unknown, there are many risk factors that, when compounded, increase the likelihood of kidney cancer. Risk factors include being male between the ages of 50-70. dialysis patients, any family history of the disease, hypertension, smoking, horseshoe kidney (or when the patients kidney's fuse together and form the shape of a horseshoe), and polycystic kidney disease (hereditary disorder in which many cysts form in kidneys.
Kidney cancer can be confirmed through several different tests, the most effective being an abdominal CT. However, blood tests to measure blood chemistry and complete blood count (CBC) are also very effective. Tests to measure hepatic function are effective at measuring elevated or abnormal enzyme activity, and to live imaging of the abdomen and kidney by Ultrasound is effective while limiting exposure to radiation.
There are also four different stages of Renal Cell Cancer. In Stage I, the tumor is 7 centimeters or smaller and is found only in the kidney. In Stage II, the tumor is larger than 7 centimeters but is still only found in the kidney. In Stage III however, the tumor can be any size and cancer can be found in the kidney, in the main blood vessels or the layer of fatty tissue surrounding the kidney, or in 1 or more nearby lymph nodes. Stage IV is the most severe stage, where cancer has spread beyond the layer of fatty tissue around the kidney and may be found in the adrenal gland above the kidney, the lymph nodes, in the lungs, liver, bones or even brain .
Anthropology has an interesting effect on this disease like it does on any other patient where cancer is involved. Because there is no universal cure, often times the best approach by a physician is to incorporate all they can when treating that patient, including culture, traditions, and beliefs. The treatment options for a patient are only as advanced as the society and environment they find themselves in, which is influential in treatment. Another interesting treatment option for people with terminal cancer are camps, where patients can meet other cancer patients, and bond over their shared experience.
SOURCES:National Cancer Institute. Renal Cancer Treatment. 2012. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/renalcell/Patient/page2
PubMed Health. A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. 2012 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001544/
PubMed Health. A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. 2012 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001544/