Renal cell carcinoma is a kind of kidney cancer.
Renal cell cancer is the most common kind of kidney cancer in adults. Another term for it is renal cell adenocarcinoma. Renal cell carcinomas are responsible for almost 80% of all kidney cancers.
Renal cell cancer starts with malignant cells in the tubule lining (the smallest tubes inside the nephrons). Tubules have a role in blood filtration and urine generation.
Common types
The most common kinds of renal cell cancer include:
- Around 80 percent of renal cell tumors are clear cell.
- Around 15 out of every 100 renal cell tumors are papillary.
- Around 5 in 100 renal cell tumors are chromophobe renal cell tumours.
Rare types
The collecting duct carcinoma and renal medullary carcinoma are two rare kinds of renal cell cancer. Kidney tumors can also have many cell types.
Sarcomatoid is another uncommon condition. This means that under a microscope, kidney cancer cells resemble sarcoma cells. Sarcoma is a type of connective tissue cancer (such as muscles, nerves, fat, blood vessels, and fibrous tissues). Sarcomatoid kidney cancer may have a different prognosis than other kinds of kidney cancer.
Read more about sarcomatoid kidney cancer
Treatment
If you have a kidney cancer, surgery is the most common therapy.
You may receive targeted cancer medications or other therapies if there is a significant danger of the cancer returning.
You may be prescribed targeted cancer medications if your cancer has spread or cannot be removed surgically. A clinical study could be an option for you.
Chemotherapy is rarely effective in the treatment of sarcomatoid kidney cancer. However, for some patients, it may help to manage their cancer and slow or stop its progression.
Doctors often utilize chemotherapy medicines that are comparable to those used to treat other forms of sarcoma. This is frequently a cocktail of various chemotherapeutic medications.
Sarcomatoid renal cell cancer is being studied by doctors to see how best to employ targeted cancer medicines. They're also attempting to determine which people will benefit the most from these therapies.
There are 4 different stages of kidney cancer and different treatments accordingly.
Treatment of Stage 1 Renal Cell Cancer
The following treatments may be used to treat stage 1 renal cell cancer:
- Surgical procedures (radical nephrectomy, simple nephrectomy, or partial nephrectomy).
- Radiation therapy is used as a palliative treatment for individuals who are unable to undergo surgery.
- As a palliative treatment, arterial embolization is used.
- A novel therapy is being tested in a clinical study.
Treatment of Stage 2 Renal Cell Cancer
The following treatments may be used to treat stage 2 renal cell cancer:
- Surgical procedures (radical nephrectomy or partial nephrectomy).
- Before or after radiation therapy, surgery (nephrectomy).
- Radiation therapy is used as a palliative treatment for individuals who are unable to undergo surgery.
- As a palliative treatment, arterial embolization is used.
- A novel therapy is being tested in a clinical study.
Treatment of Stage 3 Renal Cell Cancer
The following treatments may be used to treat stage 3 renal cell cancer:
- Surgical procedures (radical nephrectomy). Some lymph nodes and renal blood arteries may also be removed.
- Embolization of the arteries followed by surgery (radical nephrectomy).
- Radiation therapy is used as a palliative treatment to alleviate symptoms and enhance quality of life.
- As a palliative treatment, arterial embolization is used.
- As a palliative treatment, surgery (nephrectomy) is used.
- Before or after surgery, radiation treatment may be used (radical nephrectomy).
- Following surgery, a clinical study of biologic treatment is being conducted.
Treatment of Stage 4 and Recurrent Renal Cell Cancer
The following treatments may be used to treat stage 4 and recurring renal cell cancer:
- Surgical procedures (radical nephrectomy).
- The tumor is surgically reduced (nephrectomy).
- Sorafenib, sunitinib, temsirolimus, pazopanib, everolimus, bevacizumab, axitinib, cabozantinib, or lenvatinib are examples of targeted therapies.
- Interferon, interleukin-2, nivolumab, ipilimumab, pembrolizumab, or avelumab are some of the immunotherapies used.
- Radiation therapy is used as a palliative treatment to alleviate symptoms and enhance quality of life.
Medication
Belzutifan, also known as Welireg, is a medication used to treat Von Hippel Lindau disease related renal cell carcinoma.
Coping
It's extremely tough to deal with a rare cancer diagnosis. It might be beneficial to be well-informed about your cancer and its treatment. It can help you make better judgments and deal with what happens.
Talking to other individuals who are going through the same situation might also be beneficial.