Renal Cell Cancer (cont.)
IN THIS ARTICLE
- Renal Cell Cancer Overview
- Renal Cell Cancer Causes
- Renal Cell Cancer Symptoms
- When to Seek Medical Care
- Exams and Tests
- Renal Cell Cancer Treatment
- Medical Treatment
- Medications
- Surgery
- Next Steps
- Follow-up
- Prevention
- Outlook
- Support Groups and Counseling
- For More Information
- Web Links
- Multimedia
- Synonyms and Keywords
- Authors and Editors
- Viewer Comments: Renal Cell Cancer - Symptoms At Onset Of Disease
Medical Treatment
Treatment of renal cell cancer depends on the stage of the disease and the person's overall health, which determines how well that person is able to tolerate various therapies. A medical team will devise a treatment plan that is tailored specifically for the individual. Therapies that are used for renal cell cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, biological therapy, hormone therapy, and radiation therapy. Clinical trials (tests of new medicines) may be appropriate for some patients with kidney cancer. A person may undergo a single therapy or a combination of therapies.
Generally, surgery is the best treatment for renal cell cancer that has not metastasized. For more information, see Surgery.
Chemotherapy is the use of strong drugs to kill cancer cells.
- Unfortunately, chemotherapy has less benefit in renal
cell cancer than other cancer diagnoses.
- Chemotherapy shrinks the tumor in some patients with kidney cancer, but this period of remission does not
usually last long.
- Chemotherapy drugs may be given singly or in
combinations.
- Chemotherapy typically has side effects such as nausea and vomiting, weight loss, and hair loss. Chemotherapy can also suppress production of new blood cells, leading to fatigue, anemia, easy bruising or bleeding, and increased risk of infection.
Biological therapy, sometimes called immunotherapy, tries to boost the body's own immune system to fight and kill the cancer, by using substances made naturally by the body. These substances are copied in a laboratory and injected into the body.
- Biological therapy is often reserved for metastatic
renal cell cancers that cannot be cured by surgery.
- The most successful immunotherapy drugs in metastatic renal cell cancers are interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon alfa
(IFNa).
- These agents have side effects that can be very severe, including high fevers and chills, dangerously low blood pressure, fluid around the lungs, kidney damage, intestinal bleeding, and heart attacks.
Despite these problems, selected patients can tolerate these treatments and
can achieve prolonged remissions. For instance, some patients are alive 15
years or longer after having received high-dose IL-2 for metastatic kidney
cancer.
- Because lower doses of medications cause fewer and
less severe side effects, low doses of these agents are being tested in
combination with each other, with other cytokines and immune cells, and with
chemotherapy drugs.
- Many areas of research are active in kidney cancer treatment, including investigation of agents that block blood vessel formation (necessary for growth of the kidney cancer), drugs that block division of kidney cancer cells, vaccines, and new drugs that boost the immune system.
Because metastatic renal cell cancer is largely incurable with currently available forms of systemic therapy, patients with metastatic renal cell cancer are encouraged to discuss innovative clinical trials with their physicians before making a final decision.
Next: Medications »
Viewer Comments & Reviews
Renal Cell Cancer - Symptoms At Onset Of Disease
The symptoms of renal cell cancer can vary greatly from patient to patient. What were your symptoms at the onset of your disease?
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Renal Cell Carcinoma »
Renal cell carcinoma accounts for approximately 3% of adult malignancies and 90-95% of neoplasms arising from the kidney.
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