Tony Blacker
What is kidney cancer?
There are several types of kidney cancer. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type in adults, responsible for approximately 80 per cent of cases.
Many people with kidney cancer have no symptoms at first, especially when the cancer is small. The affected kidney will become larger and in time, the tumour may grow through the wall of the kidney and invade nearby tissues and organs, such as the muscles around the spine, liver and nearby large blood vessels.
As the cancer develops, the following may occur:
- Blood in the urine, which is usually painless and may 'come and go' as the tumour bleeds (the first symptom in 60 per cent of cases)
- Pain in the back or side
- Swelling in the abdomen
- High blood pressure
- Feeling generally unwell or tired
- Loss of appetite
- Polycythaemia (too much blood in body) or anaemia (too little)
- Varicocele (tangled network of veins in the scrotum)
- Hip fracture, owing to spread of the cancer to bone
- Excessive hair growth in females
- Feeling thirsty
- Night sweats
- Severe weight loss
Although kidney cancer is more common in men over the age of 60, many people develop it for no apparent reason. However, certain risk factors increase the chance of it developing, including:
- Smoking
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- Family history of the disease
- Dialysis patients with cysts in their kidneys
- Inherited disorders such as Von Hippel-Lindau disease Read more...
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