The Vicare Patient Association (Living with Kidney Cancer)), on the eve of commemorating the World Kidney Cancer Dayreported this Wednesday that in our country almost 5,000 new diagnoses of this disease13 cases per day, which places it in the fifth most frequent tumor, behind breast, colon, prostate and lung.
The information is based on the statistics of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)which in 2018 estimated 4,889 cases of kidney cancer in our countryof which 90% correspond to the so-called “renal cell carcinomas” (RCC).
As detailed by Vicare, the detection of this disease is carried out in incidental when carrying out studies for other reasons, since “it is a disease that generally no symptoms until advanced stages“,
“Kidney cancer is a tumor that does not present symptoms in early stages, that is why between 20% and 30% of cases, are diagnosed when the disease is in advanced stages“he warned Martin Richardet, medical specialist in oncology, director of the Research area of the Oncological Institute of Córdoba (IONC) and member of the Argentine Association of Clinical Oncology (AAOC).
Kidney cancer originates from the uncontrolled cell proliferations that form that organ, and, although it usually does not present symptoms in its initial stages, it can present itself in more advanced stages, such as blood in the urine, pain on one side of the back, tiredness, loss of appetite, fever or anemia.
“Kidney cancer is a tumor that does not present symptoms in early stages, which is why between 20% and 30% of cases are diagnosed when the disease is in advanced stages.”Martin Richardet
This is why specialists highlighted the importance of preventing this disease by combating those modifiable risk factors, such as smoking, obesity, and high blood pressureand others that cannot be modified, such as being male, being over 60 years of age, having a family history of kidney cancer, being of African descent, and undergoing dialysis treatment.
“Kidney cancer usually does not present symptoms in its initial stages, and detection is carried out by casual findings in routine studies or motivated by other symptoms, such as blood tests or abdominal ultrasound,” he explained. Matias Chaconmedical oncologist, former president of the Argentine Association of Clinical Oncology (AAOC) and honorary president of Vicare.
“Any type of persistent pain in the kidney area, fever with no apparent cause, weight loss, anemia or self-palpation of a lump also merit consultation; another possible symptom is the appearance of sustained high blood pressure in people who they were not hypertensive,” he added.
Treatment of kidney cancer depends on the location of the tumorthe stage at diagnosis and the general health of the patient.
“Usually the first indication is the surgerywhich represents the most important curative treatment in the approach to the disease”, concluded Chacón.
In turn, he assured that for other stages “we have targeted therapies -mostly oral administration-, modern immunotherapy -intravenously-, and a combination of both”.
“The important thing is that we have effective tools even for the most advanced stages, which
