One of the most common kinds of kidney cancer is Renal Cell Carcinoma or RCC. It is mostly found in adults and is popularly called renal kidney cancer. Kidneys are an integral part of our body as they help us filter the waste in our system and keep us from falling sick.
Apart from the waste filtering, it also helps us to maintain the balance of different body fluids. Tubules carry out all these functions in the kidney. If a person suffers from RCC, then cancer starts growing in these tubules. This is a very dangerous problem as cancer quickly spreads to the nearby organs as well.
Causes of Renal Cell Carcinoma
As is the case for most cancers, there is no specific cause for RCC. It is commonly found in adults between ages 50 to 70. However, it can be diagnosed in almost any person. Given below are some of the common reasons behind RCC.
- If there is a family history of RCC.
- Hypertension and obesity are very common reasons behind having RCC.
- If a person is undergoing dialysis, then there is a chance of developing this cancer.
- The most common reason is chronic abuse of unprescribed medications and drugs. This includes most of the arthritis drugs that people take over the counter without proper instruction or prescription.
- Inherited or genetic kidney diseases are also the main reason for causing RCC. Smoking cigarettes also facilitates the growth of these cancers in the body.
What are the symptoms of RCC?
In most cases, there is hardly any symptom at the early stages of cancer. However, in the later stages, there might be some signs showing the presence of the disease. Some of the most common symptoms are as follows:
- Sudden weight loss
- Presence of lumps in the abdomen
- Passing blood in the urine
- Loss of appetite and increased fatigue
- Problems in vision and side pain
- Women sometimes experience increased hair growth
Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma
Generally, there are five different kinds of treatment for RCC. They are listed as follows:
- Surgery is used to remove a part of the kidney containing the cancerous cells, or sometimes, one entire kidney is removed in serious cases.
- Chemotherapy is used for killing the cancer cells using medication.
- Radiation therapy uses X-ray to kill the cancer growth.
- Biologic therapy uses the strength of the immune system to fight cancer.
- Targeted therapy uses drugs for attacking specific cancer cells.
Lenvakast 4mg is a drug taken orally for treating RCC and is commonly used in chemotherapy.
