| ENCYCLOPEDIA INDEX |
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Injury Disease Nutrition Poison Symptoms Surgery Test |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
Renal cell carcinoma |
| Overview Symptoms Treatment Prevention |
| Alternative Names: |
| Renal cancer; Kidney cancer; Hypernephroma; Adenocarcinoma of renal cells; Cancer - kidney |
| Treatment: |
| Surgical removal of all or part of the kidney (nephrectomy) is recommended. This may include removal of the bladder or surrounding tissues or lymph nodes. Radiation therapy is not commonly used for treatment of renal cell carcinoma because it is usually not successful. Hormone treatments may reduce the growth of the tumor in some cases. Medications such as alpha-interferon and interleukin have been successful in reducing the growth of some renal cell carcinomas, including some with metastasis. Chemotherapy may be used in some cases, but cure is unlikely unless all the cancer can be removed with surgery. |
| Support Groups: |
| The stress of illness can often be helped by joining a support group where members share common experiences and problems. See cancer - support group and kidney disease - support group. |
| Expectations (prognosis): |
| The outcome varies depending on the amount of metastasis. The 5-year survival rate is around 60% to 75% if the tumor is in the early stages and has not spread outside the kidney. If it has metastasized to the lymph nodes, the 5-year survival is around 5% to 15%. If it has spread to other organs, the 5-year survival at less than 5%. |
| Complications: |
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| Calling your health care provider: |
| Call your health care provider any time blood in the urine develops. Also call if any other symptoms of this disorder occur. |
Kidney anatomy |
Kidney tumor - CT scan |
Kidney metastases, CT scan |
Kidney - blood and urine flow |
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