Kidney Cancer
Kidney cancer is also one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United states. Renal cell cancer and Wilms tumors develop in the kidney tissue that produce urine.
Renal cell cancer is more likely to occur in adults while Wilms tumors are more common in children. Cancer that develops in the renal pelvis and ureter is referred to as transitional cell cancer.
Unfortunately, in early stages kidney cancer does not usually cause any obvious symptoms. This means that it is less likely to be caught early on. Some kidney cancer symptoms include: bloody urine, low red blood cell counts (known as anemia), a lump on one’s side or on the lower back, unexplained lower back pain, and unexplained weightloss and/or loss of appetite.
Certain factors such as smoking and taking certain medication for a prolonged period of time put individuals at an increased risk of developing kidney cancer. Certain genetic disorders such as Hippel-Lindau syndrome, hereditary leiomyomatosis, and Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome put an individual at an increased risk of developing kidney cancer.
