Kidney Cancer or renal cell carcinoma (RCC) begins in the kidneys’ waste-filtering cells. Understand kidney cancer’s beginnings for early detection, diagnosis, and treatment.
Urologist Dr. Prakash Chandra Shetty, Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital, Powai, Mumbai, says kidney anatomy and function are essential to kidney cancer diagnosis. These bean-shaped structures on either side of the spine control fluid and electrolytes. The kidneys filter blood, remove waste, and produce urine.
Kidney cancer causes:
Small kidney tubes start kidney cancer. Renal cell carcinoma dominates kidney cancers. Chromophobe, clear cell, papillary. It’s tough to understand kidney cancer’s genetic and environmental causes.
Genetics:
Genes cause most kidney cancer. Having a relative may raise risk. VHL and inherited papillary renal cell carcinoma enhance kidney cancer risk. Renal cell carcinoma risk increases with VHL gene alterations.
Ecological issues:
Besides genes, environmental factors can cause kidney cancer. Smoking significantly increases kidney cancer risk. Asbestos and cadmium can potentially cause renal cell cancer.
High BP with kidney disease:
High blood pressure and chronic renal illness may increase kidney cancer risk. Doctors are studying how these disorders link to cancer, but kidney inflammation and damage may predate disease.
Immune dysfunction, inflammation:
Kidney cancer can result from chronic kidney inflammation like nephritis. Tumors can also result from immune system failure to identify and destroy abnormal cells.
Kidney cell carcinoma is genetic and environmental.
Conclusion
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a cancer formed in the kidneys, which filter blood and remove waste. Early kidney cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment require knowing its cause. Start in microscopic kidney tubes, most kidney malignancies are renal cell carcinoma. Kidney cancer risk rises with Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome and HPRC. Smoking, asbestos, and cadmium increase risk. Kidney cancer can also result from inflammation, immune system dysfunction, chronic renal illness, and hypertension.
