Prevent Kidney Cancer By Reducing Your Health Risks

It is quite difficult to hope for an early detection of kidney cancer. In fact, many cancer cases are not detected nearly quick enough. The overall survival rate of kidney cancer is around 40 percent, with surgery being the primary treatment. Treatment via surgery is most successful if the cancer cells are localised and confined to just affecting the kidney. To prevent kidney cancer, it is important to understand what your risk factors are and to find ways to reduce them.

You can get by with one kidney, if the other one fails. However, if both fails, then you may need a procedure known as kidney dialysis.

Kidneys come in a pair of bean like structures in your body. Each kidney is fairly small, just a little bigger than your computer mouse and weigh just about a quarter of a pound at 4 maybe 5 ounces. Your kidneys can be found in the upper abdominal cavity and is anchored to its back wall, one on each side of your spinal column. The lower ribcage provides some protection to your kidneys.

Your kidney performs important detoxification functions for your body. It helps to remove all waste products, excess salt, and water by filtering these from your blood and disposing of them
via your urine. If your kidneys cannot function properly, your blood can become toxic and this can result in harmful consequences.

Urine from the kidneys travels through ureters to your bladder where they collect until expelled by urination. Your kidneys also produce substances that contribute to controlling blood pressure and red blood cell production.

Signs of kidney cancer include the following: blood in the urine, lingering pain on the side, abdomen, or back and sudden weight loss. If you have kidney cancer, you also experience an
overall sense of weakness.

The most common form of kidney cancer is renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This easily makes up more than 90 percent of all cancerous tumours. There are five main types of RCC: clear cell RCC, papillary RCC, and three minor ones. Clear cell RCC comprises 80 percent of all renal cell carcinomas, which suggests 72 percent of all kidney cancers. Papillary RCC occurs in 10 to 15 percent of all RCCs.

There are other types of cancers that affect the kidneys as well. They include transitional cell carcinoma, renal sarcoma, and Wilms tumour. Transitional cell carcinomas occur in the renal pelvis, the connection between the kidney and ureter, and make up at most one-tenth of all kidney cancers. Wilms tumour happens almost exclusively in children; it can comprise 5 to 6
percent of kidney tumours. Renal sarcoma is quite rare.

To prevent kidney cancer, be aware about your increased risks in the following factors:

1. Genetic factors may play a part. If you have a parent or a relative who has had kidney cancer, then your chances to developing one increases.

2. Kidney cancer, like bladder cancer, happens more among men who are twice as likely as women to get it.

3. Men who smoke more than 2 packs a day have double the risk compared with non-smokers.

Cutting the habit does not help too much. Studies show that after 15 years of cessation, the risk of cancer in former smokers is only 15 to 25 percent lower than among current smokers.

4. Obesity is a risk factor, especially among women. High blood pressure also increases risk.

5. Certain occupations expose workers to cancer-causing chemicals. Steel workers assigned to coke ovens are at risk, as are workers in asbestos and cadmium.

Having a pair of proper functioning kidneys is vital to the detoxification process of your body. Regular kidney cleansing can help maintain optimal kidney health. This can help in reducing your risks to developing kidney cancer. Additionally, go and see your doctor for regular check ups.