What is Kidney Cancer
Kidney cancer, also known as renal cell carcinoma, is a type of cancer that starts in the cells of the kidney. The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located in the lower back, one on each side of the spine. They are responsible for filtering waste products from the blood and producing urine.
Kidney cancer occurs when cells in the kidney grow and divide uncontrollably, forming a mass or tumor. This tumor can interfere with the normal functioning of the kidney, and in some cases, may spread to other parts of the body.
Types of Kidney Cancer
There are two common types of kidney cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) and Urothelial Cell Carcinoma (UCC). The former is the most widely known type, which accounts for about 80% of all kidney cancers. Most of the kidney cancer treatments are similar for both types. This cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers in the world. It affects both men and women, mostly over the age of 45.
In the past two decades, the rate of kidney cancer has been on the rise. The reason is unclear but probably lies in better diagnostics techniques.
Kidney Cancer Risk Factors
- Genes (family history of kidney cancer)
- Regular smoking
- High blood pressure
- Excess weight (obesity)
- Lengthy trichloroethylene exposure
- Radiation exposure
- Thyroid cancer
- Diabetes
- Hysterectomy
Symptoms of Kidney Cancer
Similar to many other types of cancer, early stages of RCC and UCC can develop without any symptoms. Kidneys provide a tumor sufficient space to grow before it starts producing symptoms.
In most cases, the cancer is diagnosed at the early stages if the patient undergoes screenings for other conditions so the disease is discovered accidentally. The most common symptoms of later stages of kidney cancer are:
- Blood in urine
- Dragging lower back pain
- Lump in the stomach or back area
- Anemia
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
Most of the above symptoms can also be an indication of other kidney-related diseases. While they shouldn’t cause panic, discovering one or several of them warrants scheduling a doctor’s appointment.
Diagnosing Kidney Cancer
To diagnose kidney cancer, the doctor will do some or all of the following:
- Regular physical
- Medical history examination
- Blood test
- Urine test
- X-ray
- CT scan
- Biopsy
- MRI
- Ultrasound
- PET scan
Once the kidney cancer is diagnosed, a patient will most likely face the following conventional treatments:
- Surgery
- Ablation
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy
All invasive therapies cause certain side effects, reducing the quality of patient’s life for the duration of the treatment.
Alternative Kidney Cancer Treatments
Alternative kidney cancer treatments have minimal side effects, compared to conventional treatments. They are focused on stimulating the patient’s immune system to help it fight cancer on its own. Some of these treatments include:
- Homeopathy, we prepare a remedy from your pathology slides, that we use to treat you with.
- IPT: Insulin Potentiated Therapy, to kills cancer cells directly
- Ozone, because cancer does not like oxygen
- Hyperthermia, because cancer does poorly with heat
- Exercise, to increase lung function and oxygenation
- Diet, to make your chemical terrain inhospitable for cancer
- Massage
- Meditation
- High dose IV Vitamin C for it’s oxidative properties
- IV therapies to strengthen immune function
- Acupuncture
Fighting Kidney Cancer With Professional Help
If you want to know more about alternative kidney cancer treatments call our Phoenix, Arizona alternative cancer treatment center today, at 602-404 0400. We use a holistic approach to treat different stages of kidney cancer.