Introduction
The most common cause of kidney cancer is renal cell carcinoma (RCC). About 32,000 cases are diagnosed every year and because it often remains clinical silent until late in the disease process, it can be quite advanced by the time it is diagnosed.
Best Options for Renal Cell Carcinoma
- Surgery: Best chance for a cure, especially with early cancer (Stage 1 or 2) where a complete cure is very likely. It often used in Stage 3 disease, but the results are less satisfying. Patients with Stage 4 can get surgery but it often depends on how well your health is.
- Immunotherapy: This involves trying to get your own immune system to attack the tumor and was once considered the best form of medical treatment. Usually involves either interferon or interleukin-2 (IL-2). May result in prolonged remission in some but they have serious side effects and make you feel like you have the flu.
- Molecular Targeted Therapy: Medications designed to attack cancers on the molecular level (Nexavar® and Sutent®). Both were approved by the U.S. FDA and have been shown to delay disease progression with far less toxic than immunotherapy. Although it has not yet been shown to definitely increase survival (it is too early to tell), there is high hope that it will.
Less Proven or Ineffective Options
- Chemotherapy: Unlike many other cancers, it is not very effective in most cases of advanced kidney cancer. It may be used with less common types of renal cell cancers (non-clear cell) or in combination with immunotherapy.
- Hormonal Therapy: There was some initial hope for this type of therapy based on animal studies. It is now recognized that it is not effective in humans.
- Radiation Therapy: Kidney cancer tends to be relatively resistant to radiation. It has not been proven to help survival but may be helpful with relieving symptoms from metastatic disease, especially for spinal compression, pain in the bones, or bleeding in the lungs.
- Bone Marrow Transplant: This is a high-risk procedure with unproven results.