30-50% increased risk of smoking...mostly asymptomatic detection
Mar 24, 2025
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As such, kidney cancer appears silently, and periodic health checkups are important. If cancer is detected in the early stages and surgical treatment is performed quickly, kidney function can be preserved.
With Professor Chung Chang-wook of the Department of Urology at Seoul National University Hospital, we summarized kidney cancer through Q&A.
- What is kidney cancer?
▶The kidney is an organ that filters blood and discharges waste while controlling the amount of moisture and salt in the body. Tumors developing in the kidney are divided into tumors developing in the renal parenchyma (renal surface) and those developing in the renal pelvis (funnel-shaped space in the middle of the kidney). Of the tumors that occur in the kidneys, 'new cell carcinoma' accounts for the majority and is commonly referred to as 'new cell carcinoma'.
During 2022, kidney cancer ranks 10th in the incidence, accounting for 2.5% of all cancer cases, according to recently published national cancer registration statistics. Although the 5-year survival rate of kidney cancer is about 95%, the second-stage survival rate decreases to 80-90% and the third-stage survival rate to 40-60% depending on the course.
-Symptoms?
▶The three major symptoms of kidney cancer are hematuria, flank pain, and flank pain. If renal cancer progresses further, there may be decreased liver function, calciumemia, and erythrocytosis despite no metastasis. However, kidney cancer is often found without symptoms.
- What are the risk factors?
▶The cause of kidney cancer is not clearly identified. However, factors identified as high incidence include smoking, obesity, long-term dialysis, westernized eating habits, occupational factors, family history, and genetic factors. In smokers, the risk of kidney cancer increases by 30-50%. Obesity is also associated with kidney cancer, and female obesity is more likely to develop kidney cancer, especially in women.
In addition, long-term dialysis for chronic kidney disease or high-calorie food and animal fat consumption increase the risk of kidney cancer. Occupational factors are known to increase the risk of occurrence when frequently exposed to heavy metals such as asbestos and cadmium, organic solvents, and leather components.
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▶Kidney cancer is diagnosed by imaging tests such as ultrasound, CT, and MRI. Ultrasonography checks the presence or absence of side bumps, and if a lump is identified, an abdominal CT test is conducted for accurate diagnosis. MRI tests are helpful for further identification diagnosis outside of CT, and are used to assess the extent of nephrocyte cancer, especially when it invades the inferior vena cava (the largest vein in the human body that carries blood to the right atrium of the heart) and has tumors in the blood vessels.
Even if kidney cancer metastasizes and invades surrounding organs such as the liver, large intestine, and pancreas, it can be diagnosed by CT. In the case of metastasis to the bone, a bone scan test using radioisotopes is performed. Kidney cancer often recurs after five years even if it is cured by surgery, so it is necessary to undergo periodic imaging tests such as CT.
- How do you treat it?
▶ It is divided into surgical treatment and the use of targeted therapy and immunosuppressants.
First of all, in the case of local kidney cancer, surgical treatment is considered as a priority because it can be cured if completely removed by surgery. If the cancer size is less than 4 cm and is in a good position, partial resection that removes only a part of the kidney is considered first, and if the boundary between cancer and normal cells is unclear or it is difficult to fully preserve the kidney itself, it is removed by total resection. Even if the cancer size is more than 4 cm, partial resection may be considered if technically possible, but it is necessary to decide whether to perform total resection depending on the condition of the cancer. Surgery is possible by robotic surgery, laparoscopic surgery, and laparoscopic surgery, and is determined by the scope and method of surgery. Among them, robotic surgery has the advantage of being able to operate more precisely and quickly in the process of restoring blood vessels in the kidney. However, if kidney cancer is more than 10cm, it may be effective to remove it within a short period of time by laparotomy.
In addition, in the case of systemic metastasis, 'target therapy' or the recently released effective 'immunosuppressant' is used. In the case of immunosuppressants, different types of immunosuppressants may be combined, or drug treatment that combines targeted therapy and immunosuppressants may be performed. If renal cancer metastasis is not widespread, surgery is helpful for prognosis. In this case, systemic treatment is performed first after confirmation by tissue biopsy, and surgery is performed, and systemic treatment is also performed after surgery.
- What are the precautions?
▶Kidney cancer patients and high-risk groups should practice smoking cessation and low-salt diets. Drinking a moderate amount of water also helps maintain renal function. In particular, taking caffeine drinks such as coffee or energy drinks can cause dehydration, so it is better not to consume too much. In addition, it is recommended to avoid foods high in potassium, such as grapefruit juice, as long as kidney function is greatly reduced, but otherwise, it is not necessary to limit foods high in potassium.
Professor Chung Chang-wook said, `To prevent recurrence of kidney cancer, smoking cessation is essential, and it is more important to maintain a healthy diet and receive regular medical checkups than to consume certain health supplements. In addition, local kidney cancer can be cured with surgical treatment, and metastatic kidney cancer can be cured using high-quality systemic treatments, so patients should not lose hope and be treated."
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
