What causes Renal Cell Carcinoma? What can be done for it? Can it be cured if the tumor is less?

Question

than 6 cm and has not spread to other organs?

Answer 1

Renal Cell Carcinoma is a cancer of the kidneys that has no specific etiology. High risk behavior such as smoking and exposure to radiation can always be associated with cancer development, but for the most part it is idiopathic (meaning we don't really know what causes it). We know that it manifests as a consequence of certain genetic abnormalities, and in some individuals who have a family history of polycystic kidney disease, kidney cancer may occur more frequently.

The standard of care for the treatment of this disease is surgery, or radical nephrectomy. If the cancer can be removed in its entirety and has not spread beyond the kidney, cure is possible. While the smaller the cancer is, the less likely it is to recur, kidney cancer can have a tendency to metastasize to other organs such as the lung, liver, bone. If it has spread beyond the kidney and cannot be removed completely, RCC doesn't traditionally respond to chemotherapy well, and only chemobiotherapy has shown to work. However, in the past year, FDA has approved a couple new drugs, they are medicine specifically targeting certain molecular abnormalities of RCC. These have changed the outlook of patients with advanced RCC completely.

Answer 2

Renal Cell Carcinoma has no proven etiology, however, I wonder if bad water is a possibility. I personally know of 2 cases of left sided RCC, both cases are men in their late 40's-early 50's. Both live within 75 feet of each other in separate trailers but have the same water source. The water is well water with an extreme high iron content, has sulfur (can smell it, like rotten eggs).

Both cases were inadvertently discovered while trying to rule out suspected gastrointestinal problems, interestingly enough, within 6 months of each other. Both had radical nephrectomies, although there were no metastasis (as of 1 year later)

It'll be interesting should anyone else living on that property or anyone who visits frequently get diagnosed with RCC or something similar. Could this be a cancer cluster with the common denominator being the water?

Answer 3

The outcome varies depending on the degree of metastasis. The 5-year survival rate is around 60 - 75% if the tumor is in the early stages and has not spread outside the kidney.(MedlinePlus)
The outcome varies depending on the size of the tumor, whether it is confined to the kidney or not, and the presence or absence of metastatic spread. The Furhman grading, which measures the aggressiveness of the tumor, may also affect survival, though the data is not as strong to support this.
The five-year survival rate is around 90-95% for tumors less than 4 cm. For larger tumors confined to the kidney without venous invasion, survival is still relatively good at 80-85%. For tumors that extend through the renal capsule and out of the local fascial investments, the survivability reduces to near 60%.(Wikipedia)
Please see the webpages for more details on Renal cell carcinoma.

Answer 4

My husband had renal cell carcinoma. the treatment is to remove the tumor surgically. it does not respond to radiation or to chemotherapy. if the tumor is left alone it will grow larger and possibly spread to other organs and to the aorta which will take it to the heart. I know you are scared but my husband has doen great for the last 7 years. You can live a completely normal life with only 1 kidney.

Answer 5

I knew of a woman who had this. Her cancer was caused by radiation. She worked with helicopters on an airfield, and they said she was exposed to a great deal of radiation.

Answer 6

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