Kidney cancer

Kidney cancer

Kidney cancer is the sixth most common cancer diagnosed in Australian men and eleventh most common cancer in women.1

The most common type of kidney cancer is renal cell carcinoma, accounting for about 90% of all cases. Usually only one kidney is affected, but in rare cases the cancer may develop in both kidneys

Incidence and mortality

There were 2,847 new cases of kidney cancer diagnosed in Australia in 2011. Kidney cancer is more common in men - the risk of being diagnosed by age 85 is 1 in 51 for men compared to 1 in 104 for women

In 2012, there were 907 deaths resulting from kidney cancer in Australia

Screening

There is no routine screening test for kidney cancer

Symptoms and diagnosis

In its early stages, kidney cancer often does not produce any symptoms

Symptoms may include

blood in the urine (haematuria)

pain or a dull ache in the side or lower back that is not due to an injury

a lump in the abdomen

constant tiredness

rapid, unexplained weight loss

fever not caused by a cold or flu

Tests to diagnose kidney cancer include

urine test

cytoscopy

blood tests

imaging tests - ultrasound, chest x-ray, CT scan, MRI, PET scan or bone scan, intravenous pyelography

Staging

A CT scan, bone (radioisotope) scan and chest x-ray are done to determine the extent of the cancer

The most common staging system used for kidney cancer is the TNM system, which describes the stage of the cancer from stage I to stage IV

Causes

The causes of kidney cancer are not known, but factors that put some people at higher risk are

smoking

overuse of pain relievers containing phenacetin (this chemical is now banne

workplace exposure to asbestos or cadmium (construction workers, dock workers, painters and printers

a family history of kidney cancer

being male: men are more likely to develop kidney cancer than women.

Prevention

Not smoking or quitting smoking. Up to one third of kidney cancers are thought to be due to smoking

Treatment

The main treatment for kidney cancer is surgery, alone or with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy

A radical nephrectomy (removal of the affected kidney) is the most common type of surgery for renal cell carcinoma. A partial nephrectomy (removal of part of the kidney) may be an option for people who have a small tumour in one kidney (less than 4cm), people with cancer in both kidneys and those who have only one working kidney

Immunotherapy is a treatment option for people with kidney cancer metastases. Cytokines (proteins that activate the immune system) can be given intravenously or orally, and may shrink the cancer

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been trialled in people with advanced kidney cancer and found to cause fewer side-effects than chemotherapy drugs