Kidney Cancer – Alternative Solutions And Post Surgery

TREATMENTS WHEN SURGERY IS NOT POSSIBLE.

For some people, surgery may be too risky. These people have other options for treating their kidney cancers, including:

  1. Blocking blood flow to the tumor (embolization). In this procedure, a special material is injected into the main blood vessel leading to the kidney. By clogging this vessel, the tumor is deprived of oxygen and other nutrients. Arterial embolization also may be used before an operation or to relieve pain and bleeding when an operation isn’t possible. Side effects may include temporary nausea, vomiting or pain.
  2. Treatment to freeze cancer cells (cryoablation). Recent studies show cryoablation may be useful for treating kidney tumors that can’t be removed through surgery. During cryoablation, one or more special needles (cryoprobes) are inserted through small incisions in your skin and into the tumor. Gas in the needles creates extreme cold that causes the cells around the point of each needle to freeze. Doctors use CT scans to monitor the procedure and to ensure that all of the visible cancer tissue and some of the surrounding healthy tissue is frozen. Another type of gas in the needles creates warmth to thaw the frozen tissue. Then the process is repeated. The cycles of freezing and thawing cause cancer cells to die. You may experience some pain after the procedure. Rare side effects may include bleeding, infection and damage to tissue surrounding the tumor.

POST KIDNEY SURGERY

Recurrence of the disease is a concern with all kidney cancer patients. Patients undergoing surgery need to undergo re-examination at three-month intervals for at least the first year following the operation. These examinations usually include a full physical examination, blood tests, x-rays, and evaluations of liver and kidney functions.

TREATMENTS FOR ADVANCED OR RECURRING KIDNEY CANCER.

Kidney cancer that recurs and kidney cancer that spreads to other parts of the body may also be curable. In these situations, treatments may include:

  1. Surgery to remove as much of the kidney tumor as possible. Even when surgery can’t remove all of your cancer, in some cases it may be helpful to remove as much of the cancer as possible.
  2. Drugs that use your immune system to fight cancer (biological therapy). Biological therapy (immunotherapy) uses your body’s immune system to fight cancer. Drugs in this category include interferon and interleukin-2, which are synthetic versions of chemicals made in your body. These biological therapy drugs have serious side effects, including chills, fever, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite.
  3. Treatment that targets specific aspects of your cancer (targeted therapy). Targeted treatments block specific abnormal signals present in kidney cancer cells that allow them to proliferate. These drugs have shown promise in treating kidney cancer that has spread to other areas of the body. Two targeted drugs, sorafenib (Nexavar) and sunitinib (Sutent), block signals that play a role in the growth of blood vessels that provide nutrients to cancer cells and allow cancer cells to spread. Temsirolimus (Torisel), another targeted drug, blocks a signal that allows cancer cells to grow and survive.
  1. Targeted therapy drugs can cause side effects, such as a rash that can be severe, diarrhea and fatigue. Targeted drugs can also be very expensive.

Dr.Mark Feneley is a Urologist in London. Mark consults for patients requiring urological advice, investigation and treatment of urological symptoms and second opinions. He performs most routine urological operations and has particular experience in endoscopic urological surgery. Please visit http://www.markfeneley.com/ for more details and information.

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