Risk Factors To Kidney Cancer

Early detection of kidney cancer is difficult. This is not unlike most cancers. The overall survival rate of kidney cancer is around 40 percent, with surgery being the primary treatment. Treatment is most successful if the cancer cells are localised. To prevent, it is important to understand what risk factors contribute to increased risks.

Although kidneys are fairly small, they can do much for your body. Kidneys look like beans and come in a pair. Each kidney is just a little bigger than your computer mouse and weigh just about a quarter of a pound at 4 maybe 5 ounces. Your kidneys can be found in the upper abdominal cavity and is anchored to its back wall, one on each side of your spinal column. The lower ribcage provides some protection to your kidneys, just like your liver.

You can get by with one kidney, if the other one fails. However, if both fails, then you may need a procedure known as kidney dialysis.

Your kidney is a housekeeper for your body. It helps to remove all waste products, excess salt, and water by filtering these from your blood and disposing of them via your urine. If your kidneys fail to function, your blood can become toxic and this can result in harmful consequences. Urine from the kidneys travels through ureters to your bladder where they collect until expelled by urination. Your kidneys also produce substances that contribute to controlling blood pressure and red blood cell production.

What happens when you have kidney cancer? Symptoms include blood in the urine, lingering pain on the side, abdomen, or back and sudden weight loss. You also experience an overall sense of weakness.

The most common form of this disease is renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This easily makes up more than 90 percent of all cancerous tumours. There are five main types of RCC: clear cell RCC, papillary RCC, and three minor ones. Clear cell RCC comprises 80 percent of all renal cell carcinomas, which suggests 72 percent of all kidney cancers. Papillary RCC occurs in 10 to 15 percent of all RCCs.

Other types of cancers affecting the kidneys are transitional cell carcinoma, renal sarcoma, and Wilms tumour. Transitional cell carcinomas occur in the renal pelvis, the connection between the kidney and ureter, and make up at most one-tenth of all kidney cancers. Wilms tumour happens almost exclusively in children; it can comprise 5 to 6 percent of kidney tumours. Renal sarcoma is quite rare.

Risks to kidney cancer increases with the following factors:

1. Kidney cancer, like bladder cancer, happens more among men who are twice as likely as
women to get it.

2. Genetic factors may play a part. If you have a parent or a relative who has had kidney cancer, then your chances to developing one increases.

3. Smoking causes kidney cancer, and men who smoke more than 2 packs a day have double the risk compared with non-smokers. Unfortunately, cutting the habit does not help too much. Studies show that after 15 years of cessation, the risk of cancer in former smokers is only 15 to 25 percent lower than among current smokers.

4. Obesity is a risk factor, especially among women. High blood pressure also increases risk.

5. Some occupations expose workers to cancer-causing chemicals. Steel workers assigned to coke ovens are at risk, as are workers in asbestos and cadmium.

If you suspect that you have increased risks, then it is best to see your doctor regularly for a physical check-up. You need to keep healthy in order to prevent diseases. You may also wish to do regular kidney cleansing to reduce your risks to developing cancer.