A kidney is a vital organ and part of the excretory system, which purifies the blood. This bean-shaped organ is located on either side of the spinal cord.

Kidney cancer, or renal cancer, develops in the inner lining of the renal tubules and depletes the functioning of kidney. In most instances of kidney cancer, symptoms will appear before the cancer cell metastasis, or spreads to other nearby tissues and organs. Thus, the prognosis for renal carcinoma is good when the cancer diagnosed in the early stages.

Renal cancer screened in the early stages will determine the stage of cancer. Kidney cancer screening is done through these diagnostic procedures and tests:

1. Urine and blood test

The urine and blood are tested to detect the underlying cause of the symptoms. This generally tests the red blood count (RBC) present in the blood as well as screens the urine for the presence of cancerous cells, bacteria, or blood. These indications may indicate the occurrence of kidney carcinoma.

2. Biopsy

A biopsy is a common kidney cancer screening tool that removes a small portion of tissue from the kidney for lab examination. The samples are sent to the lab to search for abnormal cell indications of cancer.

3. Image testing

The kidney can also be evaluated with internal morphology of the kidney. These imaging testing can be CT scan, intravenous pyelogram, nephro-ureteroscopy, cystoscopy, or MRI in order to find any unusual proliferation of cells in the kidney.

Treating kidney cancer

Renal cancer treatment depends on several factors. Doctors will recommend the options after determining the stages and severity of kidney cancer. Some of the treatment procedures include:

1. Surgery

Majority of kidney carcinomas are treated in the initial stages with surgery in order to restore normal functioning of kidney. Common kidney surgeries are:

• Radical nephrectomy: During this process the surgeon removes the entire organ and the adjacent lymphatic nodes and organs such as the adrenal gland in one of two ways—open nephrectomy, which an insertion is made in the abdomen or laparoscopic nephrectomy, in which a continuous small insertion is made.
• Partial nephrectomy: This surgical method removes the tumor along with an adjacent margin of healthy tissue. Through this method, the functioning of the kidney is preserved.

2. Non-surgical treatment

This non-invasive method destroys the tumor without any surgical invasion through one of these methods:

• Cryoablation: Inserts a hollow needle so cold gas can freeze and destroy the tumor cells.
• Radiofrequency ablation: This procedure requires the insertion of a probe via guidance of ultrasound imaging. Through the probe, an electric current is passed that burns the active cancer cells.

3. Other kidney cancer treatments

Some of the other common ways of treating cancer include immunotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.