All information given here is of general nature only, a tumor therapy always belongs in the hands of an experienced oncologist!
Synonyms
Medical: renal cell carcinoma, hypernephroma Synonyms in a broader sense: renal tumor, renal carcinoma, renal CA
Definition
Almost all renal tumors are so-called renal cell carcinomas. These malignant tumors (malignancies) are relatively insensitive to chemotherapy and can take a very different course. Kidney cancer is usually a tumor of the elderly patient (usually between 60 and 80 years).
Epidemiology
Every year between 8 and 20 people per 100,000 inhabitants are newly diagnosed with renal cancer (kidney cancer). Men are affected twice as often as women.
Causes
Various risk factors are known to promote renal cancer (renal CA). Among these, tobacco consumption is particularly noteworthy (especially inhalation smoking). Furthermore, overweight (obesity), kidney damage caused by painkillers (analgesics) (analgesic nephropathy), cystic kidneys, dialysis treatment, kidney transplantation and the contrast agent Thorotrast, which was formerly used for X-ray examinations, appear to be associated with the occurrence of the disease.
Most cases, however, are sporadic renal cell carcinomas, which must be distinguished from hereditary familial forms. Depending on their appearance under the microscope (histological), five forms are distinguished, depending on the renal cells from which the tumor originated:
- Clear cell carcinoma (75%): exit from the lining tissue (epithelium) of the proximal tubule
- Chromophilic carcinoma (15%): exit from the epithelium of the proximal tubule (often in several places and on both sides)
- Chromophobic carcinoma (5%): exit from distal tubule epithelium
- Oncocytic carcinoma (3%): outlet from the collection tube
- Ductus Bellini carcinoma (2%): outlet from the collector
- Kidney Marrow
- Cortex of the kidney
- Renal artery
- Renal Vein
- Ureter (Ureter)
- Kidney capsule
- Renal calyx
- Renal pelvis
Since kidney cancer often grows for a long time without causing symptoms, they often have a diameter of more than 5 cm at the time of diagnosis and have already spread (metastasized) into the body in about 30% of patients, making the disease incurable. When signs of disease (symptoms) are manifested A combination of the first three symptoms is called a “classic symptom triad”.
A number of concomitant symptoms such as too many blood cells (polycythemia), too much calcium in the blood (hypercalcaemia) and impairment of liver function (Stauffer syndrome) are known. Other complaints are caused by the local growth of the tumor, e.g. penetration into the inferior vena cava with formation of dangerous blood clots (thrombosis), or metastasis (complaints caused by secondary tumors in other tissues, e.g. back pain in the case of a secondary tumor in the spinal column with possible fracture of the vertebral body).
The metastases are mainly located in the lungs, lymph nodes, liver and skeleton. Adrenal glands, which affect other kidneys or the brain, are less common. Most affected patients already have metastases in several organs when the underlying disease is recognized (diagnosis).
- Blood in urine (hematuria) (in 40 – 60 %)
- Flank pain (at 40%)
- Palpable swelling (at 25-45%)
- Weight loss (at 30%)
- Anemia (30%)
- Fever (at 20%)
