About nephrocarcinoma

What is nephrocarcinoma?

Renal cell carcinoma is a form of kidney cancer. Some patients with renal cell carcinoma do not have symptoms (asymptomatic). When symptoms are present, they may include blood in the urine; urine that is brown or rusty-colored; abdominal pain; weight loss; enlargement of one testicle or varicose veins of the testis (varicocele) in a male patient; fever; a thin, malnourished appearance; vision abnormalities; and elevated blood pressure. The most common feature of the syndrome is the passing of blood in the urine (hematuria).

What are the symptoms for nephrocarcinoma?

Renal cell carcinoma, though rare, is the most common form of kidney cancer found in adults. Usually the first sign that something is wrong is the passing of blood in the urine. Other signs may include flank Pain and an abdominal mass that can be felt by the examining doctor. Other symptoms of renal cell carcinoma may include high blood pressure (hypertension), anemia, abnormal liver function and fever. Sometimes symptoms do not appear until the cancer has spread to another part of the body, usually the lymph nodes, lungs or the long bones.

The most common method of diagnosis is through the use of CT scans or sonography. It is very important to diagnose the disorder in the early stages so that prompt treatment can begin. Staging is a very important system to determine if and where the cancer has spread. Staging progresses from 1 to 4:

Stage 1 occurs when the tumor is confined to the kidney tissues themselves; Stage 2 occurs when the tumor involves the fat or adrenal tissues of the kidney; Stage 3 occurs when there is a tumor in the veins or vena cava of the kidney, the tumor has spread to the regional kidney nodes, or the tumor has involved lymph nodes and kidney veins or vena cava; Stage 4 occurs when the tumor has spread to other organs (liver, colon, pancreas, or stomach) or spread to distant sites in the body.

What are the causes for nephrocarcinoma?

The exact cause of renal cell carcinoma is not known. However, a history of smoking does increase the risk for developing this disease. Patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease, horseshoe kidneys, adult polycystic kidney disease and kidney failure are also more prone to develop renal cell carcinoma.

Recent research suggests that two genes on the short arm of chromosome 3 (i.e., PRC and TFE 3) may be involved in the development of this particular type of malignancy. This form of kidney cancer has developed in several members of the same family, leading scientists to believe that there may be a genetic form of the disorder or perhaps a genetic predisposition toward developing renal cell carcinoma. However, exactly how the disease may be inherited is still unknown. Another gene, known as VHL, has also been linked with kidney cancer.

Renal cell carcinoma spreads (metastasizes) easily to the lungs and other organs.

What are the treatments for nephrocarcinoma?

Therapy

The drug sorafenib (Nexavar) was approved in 2005 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. Nexavar was developed through a partnership of Onyx Pharmaceuticals and the Bayer Pharmaceutical Corporation.

Treatment for kidney cancer often involves the surgical removal of all or part of the kidney (nephrectomy). This may also involve removal of the bladder or surrounding tissues. Hormone treatments may reduce the growth of the tumor in some cases. Chemotherapy may also be used.

Proleukin (interleukin-2 [IL-2]) was approved by the FDA in 1992 for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. The drug is an anti-tumor agent usually given after surgery (nephrectomy) to slow tumor growth at sites to which the cancer may have spread (metastatic).

In 2009, Afinitor® (everolimus) tablets were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) after failure of treatment with Sutent® (sunitinib) or Nexavar® (sorafenib).

For more information contact:

Novartis Pharmaceuticals

Corporation

One Health Plaza

East Hanover, NJ 07936-1080

http://www.pharma.us.novartis.com

Inlyta (also known as axitinib) by Pfizer In. was approved by the FDA in 2012 as a treatment for patients with renal cell carcinoma who have not responded to another drug for this type of cancer.

What are the risk factors for nephrocarcinoma?

Although uncommon, nephrocarcinoma is the most prevalent kind of kidney cancer in adults. The risk factors for nephrocarcinoma are:

  • Smoking: The risk drops if you stop smoking, but it takes many years to get to the same level of risk as someone who never smoked.
  • Obesity: Obese people usually have a higher risk of developing nephrocarcinoma or RCC.
  • High Blood Pressure: This is one risk that does not seem to be lowered despite taking medicines to treat it.
  • Family history: nephrocarcinoma is more likely to strike individuals with a strong family history of the disease (but not those with one of the known genetic diseases).
  • Workplace hazards: Numerous studies have suggested that trichloroethylene exposure at work may raise the chance of developing nephrocarcinoma or RCC.
  • Gender: About two times as many males than women have RCC related to gender.
  • Race: RCC is slightly more common in African Americans than in Whites.
  • Some medicines: According to certain research, the widely used pain reliever acetaminophen may raise the risk of RCC.
  • Persistent kidney disease: RCC or nephrocarcinoma risk increases in people with severe renal disease, especially those requiring dialysis.
  • Hereditary and genetic factors: Some people inherit genes that may make them more likely to get particular cancers. Kidney cancer can be brought on by a few rare hereditary disorders.

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