Where Does Metastatic Kidney Cancer Spread
The most common type of kidney cancer, renal cell carcinoma, begins growing in the kidney and then it can spread to the surrounding tissues and organs. The most common locations where kidney cancer spreads are the lymph nodes, lungs, and bones, says, Randy F. Sweis, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at University of Chicago Medicine. In scarier cases, it can spread to the brain or liver. Where it spreads depends on the specific cancer in the individuals body, says Dr. Sweis.
What Side Effects Can I Expect And How Do I Manage Them
Common side effects associated with immunotherapy include diarrhea, shortness of breath, a persistent cough, or a skin rash. Common side effects linked with targeted therapy include fatigue, high blood pressure, mouth sores or nausea. Depending on what drug you are taking, there are various ways to manage the side effects, including reducing the dose, putting the therapy on hold, or prescribing other medications that can curtail the side effects. It’s important to ask your doctor what to expect so you can let them know right away if you encounter any.
Is Kidney Cancer In Dogs Painful
Kidney tumors can cause abdominal pain, blood in the urine, or non-specific signs such as nausea or vomiting, weight loss, lethargy, or abdominal distension. Some animals may also have abnormalities on routine bloodwork, particularly their complete blood count.
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Exploring The Epigenetics Of Metastasis
In addition, the investigators explored the mechanisms by which the CXCR4 and CYTIP genes are switched on in kidney cancer cells to incite metastasis. Their study revealed that the genes undergo a series of epigenetic changes modifications in the proteins that package a cells DNA and regulate genes.
Unlike gene mutations, which alter a cells genetic code, epigenetic changes leave the DNA sequence unaffected. Nevertheless, such changes can influence a cells behavior by switching individual genes on or off.
Epigenetic modifications are commonly seen in many types of cancer and have recently been associated with more-advanced disease. However, little is known about the specific genes and mechanisms by which tumor cells may reconfigure their epigenetic makeup, causing a persons disease to progress and establish itself in new organs.
Our study has demonstrated with clear examples how epigenetic alterations can lead to the activation of metastasis-inducing genes, Dr. Vanharanta notes. This is a conceptual advancement that is likely to help us understand how metastasis occurs in kidney cancer as well as in other cancer types.
What Is Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma, or ccRCC, is a type of kidney cancer. The kidneys are located on either side of the spine towards the lower back. The kidneys work by cleaning out waste products in the blood. Clear cell renal cell carcinoma is also called conventional renal cell carcinoma.
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma is named after how the tumor looks under the microscope. The cells in the tumor look clear, like bubbles.
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Causes Of Kidney Cancer
The exact cause of kidney cancer is unknown, but some things can increase your chances of getting it, including:
- family history you’re more likely to get kidney cancer if you have a close relative with it
- some inherited genetic conditions
- long-term dialysis a treatment for chronic kidney disease where a machine does some of the jobs of the kidneys
Keeping to a healthy weight, a healthy blood pressure and not smoking is the best way to reduce your chances of getting kidney cancer.
Signs And Symptoms Of Kidney Cancer
Most people with kidney cancer have no symptoms. Doctors find most kidney cancers when they are checking for something else. Signs and symptoms can include:
- blood in your urine this may be obvious, or the urine may look dark, rusty or brown
- pain in your lower back or side
- a lump in your abdomen
- constant tiredness
- unexplained weight loss
- fever .
Not everyone with these symptoms has kidney cancer. If you have any of these symptoms or are worried, always see your doctor.
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Questions To Ask The Doctor
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What treatment do you think is best for me?
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Whats the goal of this treatment? Do you think it could cure the cancer?
- Will treatment include surgery? If so, who will do the surgery?
- What will the surgery be like?
- Will I need other types of treatment, too?
- Whats the goal of these treatments?
- What side effects could I have from these treatments?
- What can I do about side effects that I might have?
- Is there a clinical trial that might be right for me?
- What about special vitamins or diets that friends tell me about? How will I know if they are safe?
- How soon do I need to start treatment?
- What should I do to be ready for treatment?
- Is there anything I can do to help the treatment work better?
- Whats the next step?
Radiation Treatments For Kidney Cancer
Radiation uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. Its sometimes used to treat kidney cancer in patients who cant have surgery, but other treatments might be tried first.
Radiation is aimed at the kidney from a machine outside the body. This is called external beam radiation.
Side effects of radiation treatments
If your doctor suggests radiation treatment, talk about what side effects might happen. Side effects depend on the type of radiation thats used. The most common side effects of radiation are:
- Skin changes where the radiation is given
- Feeling very tired
Most side effects get better after treatment ends. Some might last longer. Talk to your cancer care team about what you can expect.
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How Cancer Stage Affects Prognosis
The stage of cancer not only helps your care team determine a treatment planit also helps predict a potential prognosis. This is done by calculating the percentage of people with kidney cancer who survive five years after diagnosis. Its important to remember that this is only a statistic based on all people with kidney cancer several years in the past, so individual statistics may vary.
The ACS estimates that about 76,080 new cases of kidney cancer may be diagnosed in 2021 in the United States. Survival numbers predict that 75 percent of these people will survive at least five years. However, the stage of cancer makes a difference. If the cancer hasnt grown outside the kidney, the five-year survival is 93 percent. For stage 4 kidney cancer, the five-year survival rate is much lower.
Its important to know that even with more advanced cancer, the five-year survival rate is based on the past five years and doesnt include new advances in clinical trials.
Screening Options For Kidney Cancer
Some types of kidney cancer are discovered before they have a chance to spread outside the kidney. Unfortunately, some arent found until they reach an advanced stage. The reasons that could happen are:
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Physical exams typically dont uncover small tumors since the kidneys are deep inside a persons body
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Symptoms might not develop until cancer becomes large
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Recommended screening tests are not available for someone who doesnt have an increased risk of developing the disease
Some tests could detect kidney cancer before it progresses, but since it isnt recommended for people at average risk, you might have to advocate for yourself and speak to a doctor if you develop any of the common symptoms.
Possible screening tests might include the options below.
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When We Treat Early
For young, otherwise healthy patients, were more likely to recommend treatment than active monitoring.
Age is one of the main factors that help us determine whether a patient with early-stage kidney cancer needs treatment. But we may recommend treatment for older patients who have a family history of long lifespans. Ive seen some patients in their mid-70s who have parents in their 90s. In cases like these, were more likely to recommend treatment because their kidney cancer may have time to develop into a more advanced case.
Even if patients and their doctors decide treatment is best, there usually isnt a need to have treatment immediately. Because of the slow-moving, slow-growing nature of kidney cancer, theres a much lower short-term risk to the patient than there may be with other cancers. I recommend my patients arrange time off work to start treatment so it is more convenient and less stressful for them.
We use minimally invasive robotic surgery for most patients who need kidney cancer treatment. This often involves removing just the cancerous part of the patients kidney, which is called a partial nephrectomy. In some cases, we may need to remove the entire kidney, which is called a radical nephrectomy. Learn more about our kidney cancer treatment options.
What Additional Tests Do I Need Before I Can Start Treatment
A scan of your body will be needed to know exactly where the tumor is located before you begin treatment, says Dr. Sweis. Then, after starting treatment, your physician will do additional scans to evaluate these spots, checking if they shrunk. Most new cancer treatments will require a few tests for safety purposes. Blood tests that evaluate your liver function, kidney function, and blood counts are needed to ensure your body will be able to process the drug therapy, adds Dr. Sweis.
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What Are The Treatments For Kidney Cancer
Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, radiotherapy, arterial embolisation and immunotherapy. The treatment advised for each case depends on various factors, such as:
- The stage of the cancer .
- The exact subtype or grade of the cancer.
- Your general health.
You should have a full discussion with a specialist who knows your case. They will be able to give the pros and cons, likely success rate, possible side-effects and other details about the various possible treatment options for your type of cancer.
You should also discuss with your specialist the aims of treatment. For example:
- In some cases, the treatment aims to cure the cancer. Some kidney cancers can be cured, particularly if they are treated in the early stages of the disease.
- In some cases, the treatment aims to control the cancer. If a cure is not realistic, with treatment it is often possible to limit the growth or spread of the cancer so that it progresses less rapidly. This may keep you free of symptoms for some time.
- In some cases, treatment aims to ease symptoms. For example, if a cancer is advanced then you may require treatments such as painkillers or other treatments to help keep you free of pain or other symptoms. Some treatments may be used to reduce the size of a cancer, which may ease symptoms such as pain.
Will I Need Surgery
If most of the cancer is in the kidney and if surgery would leave little, if any, cancer behind, then its reasonable to consider surgery, says Moshe Ornstein, M.D., a kidney cancer medical oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic. Depending on the amount of cancer left, you and your oncologist will discuss whether to start additional drug therapy. However, …for patients who have a lot of cancer outside the kidney , there is not much of a role for upfront surgery adds Dr. Ornstein, and medications should be started right away.
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Why Kidney Cancer Doesnt Always Need Treatment
About 80 percent of the patients I see for kidney cancer are diagnosed while they are being treated for an unrelated reason. A patient may have a computed tomography scan or magnetic resonance imaging scan after a car accident, injury, or for another condition, and their doctor notices a growth on their kidney. A little more than half of these are stage 1 tumors, meaning the tumors are small, early-stage, and arent causing any symptoms. Generally speaking, these types of tumors arent a short-term threat to patients. They are slow-growing, and their risk of spreading at this stage is incredibly low.
When a patient is diagnosed with kidney cancer in this early stage, we often dont need to treat it right away. In fact, many older patients dont need to be treated at all. Instead, many of my patients choose an option called active monitoring for their kidney cancer as opposed to surgery or other treatments.
How Common Is Metastatic Kidney Cancer
Nearly a third of people with renal cell carcinoma have already reached stage 4 cancer by the time they are diagnosedkidney cancer symptoms are notoriously invisible, so many people dont realize they have it until the advanced stages. And in those with earlier stages of kidney cancer, metastatic cancer reappears in about one in four cases, usually in the first three years after initial treatment.
Renal cell carcinoma that has reached the stage of metastatic cancer spreads through the blood or lymphatic system , so tumors can pop up almost anywhere. Heres where kidney cancer travels most often:
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Lungs .
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Bone
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Lymph nodes
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Liver
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Adrenal glands
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Brain
When tumors reach these regions, people often have corresponding symptoms, like trouble breathing, bone pain, or neurologic issues.
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Treatment Plans May Vary
Some kidney tumor patients can safely delay treatment or not undergo treatment at all and instead opt for careful monitoring with a biopsy and periodic CT scans once or twice a year. This is called active surveillance. Active surveillance is something that only recently evolved into practice, says Dr. George. It can be an important option for patients with low-risk kidney cancer because they could face more problems from treatment and its side effects than from the disease itself.
For cancers that are growing quickly or have already spread throughout the body, surgery may be required. A radical or partial nephrectomy is a procedure that removes all or part of the kidney. Patients who are unable to undergo surgery may require ablation therapy to destroy the tumor with radio waves, very cold gas or heat produced by microwaves.
While different types of kidney cancer can spread at different rates, it is essential to consult with a multidisciplinary team of experts that guide you to your best course of treatment.
Why Roswell Park for Kidney Cancer Treatment?
Find out what sets Roswell Park apart when it comes to kidney cancer treatment.
What Kind Of Cancer Can A Dog Have
You may notice: As his kidneys begin to fail, your dog may also have: Not much is known about what causes kidney cancer in dogs. The cancer doesnt prefer a breed or gender, with the exception of German Shepherds, who are predisposed to a syndrome known as renal cystadenocarcinomas. If your dog is acting strange, take him straight to the vet.
Renal carcinoma is the most common renal tumor in dogs, but other epithelial tumors include ADC, TCC, and SCC Nephroblastoma is a congenital renal tumor with both epithelial and mesenchymal components Benign tumors have been reported but, except for hemangioma, are usually asymptomatic and incidental findings
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Types Of Cancers That Are More Likely To Go Undetected
Some cancers are more easily detected than others. For example, certain types of skin cancer can be diagnosed initially just by visual inspection though a biopsy is necessary to confirm the diagnosis.
But other cancers can form and grow undetected for 10 years or more, as one study found, making diagnosis and treatment that much more difficult.
This table provides an overview of common cancers that often display little or no symptoms early on, and how theyre typically detected and diagnosed:
| Type of cancer |
|---|
Stem Cell Or Bone Marrow Transplant
A stem cell transplant, sometimes called bone marrow transplant, replaces damaged blood-forming cells with healthy ones. The procedure takes place following large-dose chemotherapy or radiation therapy to kill cancer cells and to stop your stem cells from producing cancerous cells.
Stem cell transplants can be used for several types of cancer, including multiple myeloma and some kinds of leukemia.
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How Will I Feel
The symptoms of kidney cancer are different for each person. In most cases, youâll see blood in your pee. You may feel generally sick, tired, and like you donât want to eat much. And you may have:
- A fever that comes and goes
- A lump in your belly
- Night sweats, so much that you need to change your clothes or sheets
- Pain in your back or side that wonât go away
- Weight loss for no reason
You might also get symptoms where the cancer spreads. If itâs in one of your bones, you might feel pain there. In your lungs, it can give you a cough or trouble breathing.
Immunotherapy For Kidney Cancer
Immunotherapy is treatment that boosts your own immune system or uses man-made parts of the immune system to help attack kidney cancer cells. Many types of immunotherapy are used to treat kidney cancer. These drugs are given into a vein.
Side effects of immunotherapy
Immunotherapy can cause many different side effects depending on which drug is used. These drugs can make you feel tired, sick to your stomach, or cause fever, chills, and rashes. Most of these problems go away after treatment ends.
There are ways to treat most of the side effects caused by immunotherapy. If you have side effects, tell your cancer care team so they can help.
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