Everything you need to know about kidney cancer

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is caused by an abnormal growth of tumor cells in the kidney. RCC is the most common solid renal lesion and accounts for approximately 90% of malignant renal tumors.

There are different histological subtypes, the three main ones being clear cell renal carcinoma ( 80-90%), papillary renal cell carcinoma (10-15%) and finally chromophobe cell renal carcinoma ( 4-5%).

The proportion is higher in men than in women (1.5:1), with a higher incidence in the older population.

CRC does not produce symptoms in the early stages of the disease, in fact, in most cases its diagnosis is incidental after an imaging test for another cause.

However, when CRC is in advanced stages, it can cause symptoms such as lumbar pain, hematuria (presence of blood in the urine), palpable mass in the abdomen or impairment of the general condition (fatigue, loss of appetite, etc.).

Some risk factors have been described that increase the probability of developing CRC. The main ones are obesity, smoking, hypertension and some medications.

On the other hand, genetic or hereditary risk factors have been described that significantly increase the probability of developing a renal tumor. These include von Hippel-Lindau disease, Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, hereditary papillary RCC or Cowden syndrome, among others. Therefore, people who carry a genetic mutation or suffer from one of the aforementioned diseases should be closely monitored for early detection of any tumors that may appear.

Renal tumors are diagnosed by means of imaging tests such as abdominal ultrasound and CT. The study must be completed with a blood and urine analysis, but it is also essential to carry out a correct anamnesis and physical examination. Early detection of kidney cancer is essential to achieve a high degree of cure after treatment.

The treatment of malignant tumors of the kidney depends on the size, extent and location of the tumor within the kidney. In addition, the function of the contralateral kidney, the patient's general condition, age and the presence of other diseases are taken into account.

The main treatments for localized stage renal cancer are radical nephrectomy (consists of removing the entire kidney) or partial nephrectomy (consists of removing only the part of the kidney where the tumor is, thus preserving a large part of the kidney). These surgical procedures can be performed by two approaches, either laparoscopic or laparoscopic assisted by da vinci robot.

The latter is especially useful in partial nephrectomy as it helps to perform a better repair of the kidney defect remaining after tumor removal and therefore decreases the risk of complications.