MAIN Health Diseases Cancer Kidney Cancer

Your kidneys are bean-shaped organs located just below the rib cage in your back, and are responsible for processing all of the waste matter from your blood system which later becomes urine stored in the bladder.

Sometimes, abnormal cells begin to grow within the kidneys resulting in the most common form of kidney cancer, renal cell carcinoma.

The condition is usually typified by either a single mass or multiple tumors that begin to grow in one or both kidneys.

Less reported are cases of transitional cell carcinoma, which begins in the tubes connecting the kidneys to the bladder. A rarer form of kidney cancer, renal sarcoma, usually begins in the kidney's connective tissue.

In its earliest stages, kidney cancer patients may suffer no symptoms at all, but as the cancer grows blood may begin appearing in the urine accompanied by unexplained weight loss or chronic back pain. If left untreated, the disease may begin to spread or metastasize into the bladder or other nearby organs as well as to other parts of the body.

Surgical options for more advanced kidney cancers may include removal of the tumor in a procedure called nephron-sparing surgery, If the disease is more widespread, a treatment known as radical nephrectomy removes the entire kidney along with adjacent tissue and lymph nodes.

On the Web, learn more about the disease with expert advice and information on risk factors, symptoms and diagnosis, screening & testing procedures, treatment options, follow-up care, along with alternative and dietary therapies that may also help in the fight against kidney cancer ...

What Is Kidney Cancer (Renal Cell Carcinoma)? - American Cancer Society guide to the topic with a description of the disease, more on rarer forms of kidney cancer including transitional cell carcinoma, Wilms tumor, as well as benign conditions, with links to more information on causes & risk factors, kidney cancer staging, treatment options, statistics.

What You Need to Know About Kidney Cancer - Brief overview with more on risk factors, diagnosis and testing, treatment and side effects, nutrition & diet information, follow-up care and links to related links and support.

Steve Dunn's Kidney Cancer Page - Patient-friendly information provided by a kidney cancer survivor with a guide to grading and staging, tips on getting through you surgery and other therapies, information on renal cell cancer subtypes, metatastic & recurrent kidney cancers, plus an extensive collection of related links and resources.

Kidney Biopsy - Illustrated fact sheet with information on preparing for the test, description of procedures, what to expect after testing, with related links to more information.

also see in Diseases -> Kidney Stones Diet

This information is intended as reference and not as medical advice.
All treatment decisions should be made by medical professionals.