Kidney cancer (also known as renal cell carcinoma) results from kidney cells that develop genetic abnormalities that cause them to grow abnormally quickly. Kidney cancer can be difficult to treat because it typically does not respond to chemotherapy or radiation treatment. However, there are other treatment options available.
Surgery
According to the American Cancer Society, surgical removal of the kidney cancer is the most effective treatment for kidney cancer, including advanced or metastatic cancer. For patients with one healthy cancer, a radical nephrectomy is usually recommended, in which the diseased kidney, as well as the nearby lymph nodes are removed. In this case, the remaining kidney is still able to provide adequate function for the body. If this cannot be done, a partial nephrectomy can be performed, in which only the cancerous portion of the kidney is removed.
Ablation
For patients that cannot receive surgery, there are two different ablation techniques that can be used to kill cancer cells. According to the Mayo Clinic, cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation use extreme cold and electrical currents, respectively, to kill off the cancer cells. Both techniques involve the use of a probe, which is inserted directly into the tumor and is able to cause localized death of the cancerous tumor. These two kinds of treatment are generally only used if the kidney tumors are small and easily reached using a needle. Because these are two relatively new techniques, the Mayo Clinic notes that there is not a lot of long-term data chronicling the safety and efficacy of this kind of treatment.
Tumor Embolization
Tumor embolization involves injecting a special substance into the artery that sends blood to the kidney. This material will then cause a blood clot, which will restrict blood flow to the diseased kidney. This helps keep nutrients and oxygen from getting to the tumor. It can also be done before surgery to reduce the bleeding.
Biologic Therapy
Biologic therapy (which is also known as targeted therapy and immunotherapy) works by triggering the immune system to fight off the renal cancer. Examples of these treatments include interleukin-2 and interferons. These are synthetic versions of chemicals that are naturally produced by the immune system that can stimulate it to attack cancerous cells.
