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| {{SI}}
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| '''Editor-in-Chief:''' Jane Wu
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| {{EJ}}
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| ==What is kidney cancer==
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| Kidney cancer is also called hypernephroma or renal cancer. Kidneys are fist-sized peritoneum organs on either side of the backbone. The function of kidneys is to filter and clean your blood, taking out waste products and making urine. Usually, kidney cancer origins in the lining of tiny tubes. Kidney cancer doesn't have early symptoms. With the development of the cancer, frequent symptoms include blood in your urine, pain in your side, a lump in your abdomen and unexplained weight loss. Treatments include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or biologic therapy.
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| ==How do I know if I have kidney cancer and what are the symptoms of kidney cancer?==
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| Early kidney cancer does not make any symptoms. When the cancer grows larger, people may notice one or more symptoms as the following:
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| :*Hematuria (blood in the urine)
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| :*Low back pain on one side
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| :*A mass or lump on one side or lower back
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| :*Fatigue and unexplained weight loss
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| :*Edema (swelling of ankles and legs)
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| Other health problems may also cause these symptoms. Only a doctor can tell for sure. A person with any of these symptoms should tell his/her doctor so that problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.
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| ==Who is at risk for kidney cancer?==
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| Clinical data have suggested that the development of kidney cancer is related with several factors.
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| '''Genetic and hereditary risk factors'''
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| :*Von Hippel-Lindau disease
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| :*Hereditary papillary renal cell carcinoma
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| :*Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma
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| :*Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome
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| :*Hereditary renal oncocytoma
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| '''Lifestyle-related and job-related risk factors'''
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| :*Smoking: Tabacco smoking increases the risk of developing renal cell carcinom.
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| :*Obesity: Clinical survey demonstrate that kidney cancer has a close relatinship with people who are very overweight.
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| :*Workplace exposures: Clinical studies have suggested that workplace exposure to certain substances such as asbestos, cadmium, some herbicides, benzene, and organic solvents, particularly trichloroethylene, may increase the risk for kidney cancer.
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| '''Drugs''': Some studies have suggested that phenacetin (non-prescription pain reliever) and diuretics (medicines uesd to treat hypertension or heart failure by causing the kidneys to remove salt and fluid from the body) may be linked to kidney cancer.
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| '''Advanced kidney disease''': People with advanced kidney disease, especially those needing dialysis, have a higher risk of kidney cancer. The reasons may be the accumulation of the metabolic toxin.
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| '''A family history of kidney cancer''': The risk is higher in people with a family history of kidney cancer.
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| '''Hypertension''': The risk of kidney cancer is higher in people with hypertension.
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| '''Gender''': Men have about twice risk to develope kidney cancer than women.
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| '''Race''': Epidemical data show that African Americans have a slightly higher rate of kidney cancer than other race.
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| ==How to know you have kidney cancer?==
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| '''Lab Tests'''
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| :*Urinalysis: This is the basest test for urinary system diseases. Red blood cells and white blood cells may be detected through the test.
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| :*Blood chemistry tests: The levels of certain chemicals in the blood may be affected by patients with kidney cancer.
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| :*Complete blood count: Anemia is very common in kidney cancer patients. Sometimes erythropoietin which is a kind of hormone made by kidney cancer can produce too much blood cells.
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| '''Ultrasonography''': This is an atraumatic test which uses sound waves to create a picture of the internal organs. Because tumors generate different echoes of the sound waves than normal tissue, the doctor can locate a mass inside the body.
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| '''Computed tomography (CT) scan and biopsy''': CT scans are often used to diagnose kidney cancer. It can confirm the location of the cancer and show the organs near the kidneys, as well as lymph nodes and distant organs where the cancer might have spread. These are helpful in staging the cancer and in determining whether surgery is a good treatment option. And CT scans can also be used to guide biopsy and a biopsy sample is then removed and looked at under a microscope.
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| '''Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)''': An MRI uses magnetic fields but which is a different imaging type from computed tomography (CT) to produce detailed images of the body. Like computed tomography (CT), a contrast agent may be injected into a patient’s vein to create a better picture.
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| '''Positron emission tomography (PET) scan''': When doing this test, a small amount of a radioactive medium is injected into your body and absorbed by the organs or tissues. This radioactive substance gives off energy to accept to produce the images. PET can provide more helpful information than CT scan and MRI scan. It is useful to see if the cancer has spread to lymph nodes and also useful for your doctor to locate where the cancer has spread.
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| '''Chest X-ray''': This plain x-ray of your chest may be done to see if the cancer has spread to your lungs.
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| '''Whole Bone Scan''': The goal of a whole body bone scan is to show if a cancer has metastasized to your bones.
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| ==When to seek urgent medical care==
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| ==Treatment options==
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| ==Diseases with similar symptoms==
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| ==Where to find medical care for kidney cancer==
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| [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q={{urlencode:{{#if:{{{1|}}}|{{{1}}}|angina}}}}&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=65.008093,112.148438&ie=UTF8&ll=37.0625,-95.677068&spn=91.690419,149.414063&z=2&source=embed Directions to Hospitals]
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| ==Prevention of kidney cancer==
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| ==What to expect (Outook/Prognosis)==
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| ==Copyleft Sources==
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| http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/kidneycancer.html
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| http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/CRI_2_3x.asp?dt=22
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| {{WH}}
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| {{WS}}
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| [[Category:Patient Information]]
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