I've Just Been Told I Have Ki... Health Article

Kidney cancer is cancer that begins in the kidneys. Like most types of cancer, it begins small and grows over time. Cancer cells may be limited to the kidney. Or the cells may break away from a tumor and spread to other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis. When kidney cancer spreads, it is still called metastatic kidney cancer. For example, if cancer spreads to the liver, the cancer cells in the new tumor are still kidney cancer cells, and it’s called metastatic kidney cancer, not liver cancer.

The way a cancer grows and tends to spread is called its pathophysiology. Unlike cancers that spread through the lymph system, kidney cancer usually spreads through the bloodstream. Still, if the cancer spreads, it tends to go to the lymph nodes, lungs, bones, or liver. Occasionally, kidney cancer can spread to the brain.

People with kidney cancer now have more treatment choices and more hope for survival than ever before. Doctors keep finding new treatments for the cancer and ways to help people with it have a better life. Your doctor can use imaging tests or a biopsy to confirm that you have kidney cancer, but it’s likely you’ll need other tests to learn about how far the cancer has progressed, called the stage.

To decide the best course of treatment for you, your healthcare team needs to know as much as they can about you and your cancer. This may involve getting some tests and working with more than one doctor or other type of healthcare professional. You may decide that you want to get a second opinion to help you decide about treatment.

Your healthcare team will likely include these specialists.

• Surgeon

• Urologist, a doctor with special knowledge about the urinary tract

• Oncologist, a cancer specialist

• Radiation oncologist, an oncologist who specializes in treating cancer with radiation

They will answer any questions you may have and help you through each of the steps you’ll take before, during, and after treatment. Your team will let you know what tests you need and the results of those tests. They’ll guide you in making treatment decisions and help prepare you and your loved ones for what’s ahead.

To better understand what is happening inside you, it will help you to understand the basic anatomy of the kidney.