Kidney cancer, or renal cancer, is a condition in which malignant cells form on the kidney tubules. Excessive intake of pain killers, smoking, passive smoking, etc. could increase the chances of kidney cancer. If one passes blood through urine or feels a lump on the abdominal region, it is good to seek a doctor’s advice. One needs to get the abdomen and kidneys tested to identify the stage of renal cancer. Some renal cancers affect the treatment options hence chances of recovery get to be much lesser. Herein, we discuss the stages of renal cancer and their treatment options.

Stages 1, 2, and 3
Stages 1 and 2 of kidney cancer are contained inside the kidney it doesn’t spread. Stage 3 is where the malignant cells move toward the lymph nodes calling it the “N” stage as diagnosed by a doctor. Kidney cell cancer is termed as TNM staging. “T” is the tumor and the diagnosis of where it is located. “N” is the diagnosis of the spread of cancer spread to lymph nodes or not. “M,” or metastasis, is the diagnosis done to identify how much of it has spread to the other parts of the body and where are those located.

Stage 4
This is the advanced stage of kidney cancer. This means that there is little or no chance of survival. The malignant cells have made their way to all parts of the body. Cancer most likely spreads to the adrenal gland because it is attached to the kidney. If it has spread to more than one lymph node in the kidney it is not easy to treat it with chemotherapy.

Treatment Options
Stage 1 cancer can be treated with surgery. If it has reached to the advanced stage not much can be done. If the doctor is well experienced to isolate the tumor and metastasis, there could be a chance of removing the malignant cells. If the kidney cancer has spread to the lungs, eliminating the damaged portion of the lungs is the only way to get rid of cancer. So, the patient will be on life support. If it has affected only inside the kidney, then partial removal of the kidney (partial nephrectomy) is another option. If the entire kidney has to be removed, it is called as radical nephrectomy.

Non-surgical Options
If one cannot have a surgery because of medical issues, there are other treatment options available, such as cryotherapy, embolization, active surveillance, and radiofrequency ablation. These treatments for kidney cancer are primarily for those in the advanced stage and have less than 6 months in hand. It is best to avoid surgery at that stage if there is no recovery and give them the best hospice care at home itself. Have a doctor who can come home and visit the patient every day.

The stages and treatment for kidney cancer go hand in hand, and one must be prompt when it comes to getting the right options.