Things We Should Know About Kidney Cance

Incidence and survival rates

Kidney cancer – also known as renal cancer – is the 12th most common cancer worldwide. Statistics show that incidence rates of the disease are twice as high among men than women and that 59 per cent of kidney cancer cases occur in more developed countries, with the highest rates seen in North America and Europe and the lowest in Africa and Asia.

March is Global Kidney Cancer Awareness Month.

Although kidney cancer is the 16th most common cause of death from cancer, survival rates are relatively high in developed countries. In the US, overall survival rates are 72 per cent after five years; the survival rate beyond five years is even higher at 92 per cent for the two thirds (64 per cent) of cases that are diagnosed in the early stages. However, these high survival rates are not seen in lower income countries where cancers are often detected at later, more advanced stages.

Treatment for kidney cancer

kidney cancer is often treated with surgery to remove all or part of the affected organ. Some patients may be given chemotherapy or radiation therapy after surgery to destroy unseen cancer cells that may remain following the procedure. For a few patients, most commonly those with advanced disease, treatment may include a molecularly targeted therapeutic or an immunotherapeutic.

Five reasons kidney cancer is hard to treat:

• Kidney cancer is very heterogeneous. It may have different kinds of cell in different parts of the tumor.

• Kidney cancer can suppress the immune system within the tumor microenvironment.

• Kidney cancer is an anatomic challenge. The tumor can extend into the inferior vena cava, which leads directly to the heart.

• Kidney cancer creates a low oxygen environment and may induce hypoxia.

• Kidney cancer has a lot of abnormal blood vessels.

Lifestyle factors and kidney cancer risk

Most kidney cancers occur spontaneously, although some are associated with hereditary conditions, including von Hippel-Lindau disease and hereditary papillary renal cell carcinoma. Potential risk factors include cigarette smoking, obesity and high blood pressure，misuse of certain pain medicines, including over-the-counter drugs.