The kidney is an organ that helps purify blood by eliminating waste from the body in the form of urine. Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is cancer that originates in the kidney cells. There are two main types of kidney cancer—renal cell carcinoma and transitional cell carcinoma. The symptoms of this type of cancer include pain in the lower back, blood in the urine, fever, swelling in the legs and ankles, unexplained weight loss, constant fatigue, and a loss of appetite.

Screening for kidney cancer
People who are at a high risk of developing this type of cancer are always advised to go for an annual screening. Factors which increase one’s risk of developing kidney cancer include obesity, chain-smoking, high blood pressure, or a family history of kidney cancer. The tests used to diagnose kidney cancer include the following:

• Physical examination
  A physical exam is one of the first steps in the process of screening for kidney cancer. The doctor will feel the surface of the skin around the kidneys to see if any lump may be detected.

• Blood tests
  Blood tests such as complete blood count (CBC) may reveal that a person has an extremely low count of red blood cells (RBCs). These tests may also indicate a high level of calcium and liver enzymes in the blood, both of which indicate cancer.

• Urine sample
  Urine tests are a vital part of kidney cancer screening. In the case of kidney cancer, the urine sample will have traces of blood in it. In some samples, the urine will clearly show cancer cells.

• Imaging
  Imaging tests may involve magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), CT scans, X-Rays, PET scans, and ultrasounds. These tests help pinpoint the presence of an actual tumor in the kidneys. In some cases, a bone scan is advised to determine the extent of cancer that has spread.

• Biopsy
  In certain specific cases, the doctor may advise a kidney biopsy. In a biopsy, a sample of the kidney tissue is extracted from the body and sent for testing to check if cancer cells are present.

Treatment for kidney cancer
Once cancer has been diagnosed, the doctor will try to classify the stage of cancer. This will set the course for further treatment. At present, a standard kidney cancer treatment goes as follows:

• Surgery
  Most cases of kidney cancer are treated with the help of surgery. Surgery is of two types—nephrectomy and partial nephrectomy. In nephrectomy, the entire affected kidney is removed and in partial nephrectomy, only the tumor is removed and the kidney is saved. Partial nephrectomy is the preferred method of treatment to help preserve the kidney function.

• Radiation therapy
  Radiation therapy is often used when cancer has spread outside the kidneys to the bone and other parts of the body. This treatment is painless as it uses high power beams to kill cancerous cells.

• Chemotherapy
  Chemotherapy consists of medications that may be injected intravenously or taken orally. These medications help destroy cancerous cells. However, they do sometimes affect normal and healthy cells as well.

• Targeted therapy
  This treatment uses specific medications to kill proteins in cancer cells while sparing healthy cells from any damage. One particular type of targeted therapy is called anti-angiogenesis therapy. In this therapy, cancer cells are starved by cutting off blood supply to them. The healthy cells remain unaffected.

• Immunotherapy
  As the name suggests, immunotherapy uses the body’s immune system to target and kill cancer cells. Medications used in immunotherapy help the body’s immune system accurately identify and destroy cancer cells, while leaving the normal cells unaffected.