If your loved one has been diagnosed with kidney cancer, you may wonder if there are any options other than surgery. The truth is, there are several options that may work just as well. One option is active surveillance, which is not the same as “watchful waiting” or chemotherapy. This option involves regular checkups to monitor any changes in your loved one’s condition. While active surveillance is not a cure for kidney cancer, it can help manage the symptoms of your loved one’s disease.
A biopsy will show whether your tumor has spread beyond the Gerota’s fascia, the large vein leading out of the kidney. It may have spread to the vena cava, the large vein leading into the heart. Oncocytoma is also considered a type of kidney cancer that is slow-growing, but may not grow to Gerota’s fascia. If the tumor is still too small to be detected, it will most likely need to be removed surgically.
While surgery may be an option, the most common option is chemotherapy. While chemotherapy is effective for many types of cancer, it may not work for kidney cancer. If your doctor recommends a radical cure, your kidney tumor should have been detected earlier. Treatment will depend on the stage. If the tumor is bigger than seven centimeters in diameter, you may have stage IV. If it has spread to lymph nodes, it may be a sign of an advanced disease.
The symptoms of kidney cancer are similar to those of a cyst or infection. If you’re having any of these symptoms, you should schedule a checkup immediately. Your doctor will likely perform a urine test to look for signs of cancer and may suggest another health issue. A CT scan can also show the location of any cancer cells in the abdominal area, including the lymph nodes. This can help your doctor determine whether you are dealing with the cancer or not.
Another treatment option is immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is an experimental treatment that boosts the body’s own defenses against cancer. The drugs are designed to stimulate the immune system and make the tumors starve. One example of a targeted therapy is sunitinib, which slows the growth of cancer in patients with advanced stage kidney disease. However, other studies have shown mixed results. Until further research is done, it is unclear if this therapy will work in patients with advanced kidney cancer.
Another option for treating kidney cancer is a clinical trial. Clinical trials enlist volunteers to test new treatments. These trials evaluate different methods of treatment and combinations. The hope is that one of these treatments might eventually be successful. If these trials prove to be effective, patients will receive the most effective treatment options available. If your cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, immunotherapy may be your best bet. But if you don’t want to take a risk, there are other options.
A biopsy is an accurate way to diagnose kidney cancer. The doctor will use x-rays to create a 3-dimensional image of your organ. A CT scan can also help your doctor determine the size of the tumor. The doctor will first perform a non-contrast CT scan before injecting contrast medium. This contrast medium is designed to make the images more detailed. If your doctor suspects kidney cancer, he or she may recommend a kidney biopsy to rule out the disease.
