All information given here is of general nature only, a tumor therapy always belongs in the hands of an experienced oncologist!
Therapy and prevention
Contribute to the prevention of renal cell carcinoma:
- Abstaining from smoking
- Avoidance of certain groups of painkillers (e.g. painkillers containing phenacetin, e.g. paracetamol)
- Weight Loss
- Screening of patients with severe renal weaknessKidney failure (terminal renal insufficiency), cystic kidneys, von-Hippel-Lindau syndrome, tuberous sclerosis
In the case of a renal cell carcinoma of the kidney that has not yet spread, the standard therapy is surgical removal of the tumor (radical tumor nephrectomy) together with the kidney, adrenal gland and adjacent lymph nodes. If necessary, affected blood vessels are removed and replaced with a vascular prosthesis (replacement for vascular incisions).
The operation also has advantages in the case of already existing metastases: so-called paraneoplastic symptoms (symptoms that are not directly caused by the tumor or its metastases, but are related to the occurrence of the tumor; e.g. increased blood sedimentation rate 56%, anemia 36%), as well as tumor-related pain and bleeding are reduced. Individual metastases can also be removed. In patients who have only one kidney from the outset, this is only partially removed.
A local recurrence, i.e. a new tumor at the same site, is removed again, if possible. The benefit of adjuvant therapy (subsequent chemo-, hormone, radiation therapy or similar) has not been proven. Interventions that do not aim to cure but to alleviate the symptoms (palliative interventions) are the removal of metastases from the lungs, brain and bones.
Renal cell carcinomas react little to radiation or chemotherapy. A more recent development is the use of so-called “biological response modifiers”, which intervene in the patient’s immune system to support the treatment of the tumor. Messenger substances of the immune system (interleukin-2, tumor necrosis factors) are used to restrict the growth of tumor cells and mark them as targets for cell-killing (cytotoxic) T-lymphocytes and macrophages (the body’s own defense cells).
These white blood cells (leukocytes) ensure that the tumor cells destroy themselves (apoptosis) or actively participate in the destruction (e.g. through phagocytosis). However, the positive effects are usually quite short and usually do not outweigh the observed side effects. They may be suitable for palliative treatment.
