A kidney tumor is an unwanted growth in the cells of your kidney that forms a mass called a tumor. Not all of these tumors are cancers, but many of these are cancers and can spread to other parts of the body, like the kidney dialysis treatment, kidney stone treatment, and liver cancer treatment. It is very important to do the kidney tumor treatment at the early stage of cancer. Otherwise, it causes the removal of the kidney and also harm to other parts of the body. So, becomes an overall threat to the body of the patient.

Symptoms and Causes of Kidney Tumor

At the start, tumors in the kidney do not give any signs; however, after the development period, they show signs. Therefore, the treatment of the cancer of the kidney can only be carried out after confirmation by diagnosis and tests.

Some of the symptoms of renal cancer are:

  • Continuous pain in the back or side of the individual.

  • Very little desire to eat.

  • A lump in the abdomen or kidney area.

  • You can see blood in the pee.

  • Swelling around the legs and ankles of the patient.

  • Show the symptoms of fatigue in the body.

  • Your lab test shows high blood pressure, anemia, and high calcium.

  • You may feel tiredness, fever, and flank pain.

Doctors did not know about any proper causes of kidney tumors, but suggested certain risk factors that increase the chances of renal cancer.

Risk Factors for Renal Cancer

Here are some major risks of renal cancer:

  • Smoking: A person who has been smoking for a long time is at a higher risk of a Kidney Tumor.

  • Older Age Person: Older age persons with high blood pressure are probably have a higher risk of kidney tumors than younger one. 

  • Family History: Family history can also create a higher risk of renal cancer.

  • Obesity: An overweight person has a higher chance of renal cancer

  • Dialysis Treatment: This treatment is also harmful for your body when you get more and more dialysis treatment.

Diagnosis and Tests for the Kidney Tumor

If you show symptoms of a kidney tumor or are not feeling well, then consult a doctor. After listening to your problem doctor, write some tests to confirm the evidence and spread of the kidney tumor. This is the first and very important step for the treatment of a Kidney tumor. 

These tests may include:

  • Blood Test: A blood test is done to determine the overall health of the patient. These tests mainly include CBC and blood chemistry tests, in which they measure the different levels of blood cells, platelets, and the level of calcium, etc.

  • Urine Test: These tests mainly include urinalysis and urine cytology test. In urinalysis, the doctor mainly checks WBC and blood in your urine, and tests the level of protein and chemicals in your urine. A urine cytology test is done to check for cysts and cancer cells in the kidney.

  • Kidney Biopsy: If your urine and blood tests show the symptoms of kidney cancer, then the biopsy test is done to confirm the kidney tumor. In these tests, a small piece of your suspicious area is taken out and sent to the lab to check for cancer cells.

  • CT Scan: A CT scan is done to check the exact location, size, and shape of the tumor.

Treatment of Kidney Tumor :

There are multiple ways to treat renal cell carcinoma. Firstly, the patient's age, stage of cancer, and general condition mostly decide what the best treatment plan will be.

Surgery

Doctors mainly prefer surgery for kidney tumors. The main aim of doing surgery is to remove the cancerous cells from your kidney while preserving the proper functioning of the Kidney. Surgery removes the cancerous kidney from your body (known as a complete nephrectomy). It completely depends on the stage of the kidney tumor.

After the surgery, patients must take additional treatment to stop its regrowth. Other techniques like immunotherapy and targeted drug therapy can be used as an additional treatment.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is used to increase your immune system so that it helps your body to fight or destroy the cancer cells. These treatments can be given alone or along with surgery to stop the regrowth of the tumor. This technique is mostly preferred by people because it helps in removing the tumor from the kidney. 

By using this treatment, if the tumor shrinks, then surgery can be the second option to remove it completely. For those patients who show a symptom of recurrent kidney this treatment is the best option.

Targeted Drug Therapy

In targeted drug therapy, doctors use medicine to stop certain chemicals or substances that help in the feeding or growth of the cancerous cells. In these techniques, doctors mainly choose which medicine is most suitable for you. 

Targeted medication therapy mostly kills cancer cells while sparing healthy cells. It is typically selected over chemotherapy for this primary reason. Despite being more focused, tailored medication therapy still has certain adverse effects, which might include skin issues, diarrhea, hair loss, and other issues.

Ablation

In these techniques, either heat or cold is used to destroy the cancer cells of the kidney.

  • Cryoablation: In these techniques, the doctor inserts a thin needle through your skin to the tumor, and cancer cells are frozen with the cold gas. Follow-up  X-ray and CT-Scan should be done to ensure that the cancer cells are destroyed completely.

  • Radiofrequency Radiation: In this technique, a thin needle is inserted through your skin to the tumor, and an electric current is passed through the cancer cells to destroy them.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is rarely used in the treatment of kidney cancers since it is not very effective.  You can take it orally or intravenously. Because this medication is so difficult, people must be able to endure it.

Those procedures are not without defects. They destroy both harmful and normal cells, therefore the patient becomes more uncomfortable or is affected with some kind of side effects. An immune system that is not strong, loss of hair, sores in the mouth, vomiting and other common side effects may go away after the treatment.

Renal Artery Embolization

This is the most common method through which cancer cells are cut off from their blood supply. Therefore, the tumor will not receive oxygen or nutrients that it requires to develop. In case cancer cells are wiped out after a single cycle of the treatment, you could experience some symptoms such as a cold, fever, and nausea. It shows that you are fighting well and that the cancer will be vanquished in due time.

Conclusion

Treatment for a kidney tumor may be different for each individual and is influenced by several factors, such as the general condition of the body, tumor size and location, patient age, and cancer stage. For the initial stage of the cancer surgery is the best option to destroy it. For the later and advanced stage, doctors mainly use different techniques to stop its growth and spread. Treatment of a kidney tumor can generally involve a combination of techniques depending on the severity of the tumor.