Kidney cancer treatment

The kidney is the body's main purifying organ. It continuously filters the blood to remove waste products from the body through the urine. Kidney cancer is the malignant transformation of a normal kidney cell into a cancerous one.
Kidney cancer is one of the most common cancers. It mainly affects people between the ages of 60 and 70.
Several forms of kidney cancer exist:
• Hyperencephrome: This is the most common form of kidney cancer. This type of kidney cancer results in the development of cancer cells in the kidney tubules (small channels inside the nephrons that filter blood and make urine).
• Transitional cell carcinoma: This is the development of cancer cells in the pelvis (the central part of the kidney where urine is collected before it reaches the ureter and then the bladder).
• Wilms' tumor: This tumor is the form of kidney cancer that particularly affects young people and children.
Causes:
• Obesity
• Tobacco
• High blood pressure
• Family history
• Genetic factors
• Treatment of renal impairment by dialysis
Symptoms:
• Blood in the urine
• Appearance of nodules on the back
• Tiredness
• Night sweats
• Blood spitting
• Swelling of the testicular veins in men
• Weight loss

It is difficult to give an accurate estimate of the cost of treatment without first reviewing your medical file. Doctors and specialists from the MEDICAIM network will examine your file before returning to you with a treatment plan. Do not hesitate to contact a MEDICAIM advisor: he will assist you in obtaining a quote and a personalized estimate.
Contact a MEDICAIM careteam assistant by clicking on this link or by phone at (+33) 9 72 39 70 70.

How to find quality treatment abroad

Every year, nearly 11 million patients go abroad in search of medical care. At MEDICAIM, we provide our patients with access to the best hospitals and doctors around the world. Contact us to learn more about your treatment options.

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Start your medical stay by requesting a quote. Our customer service department will help you find the clinic that best suits your needs and get you a quote.

The doctor will start the consultation with a clinical interview associated with different examinations:
• Physical examination: during a thorough general examination, swelling may be palpable on the flank, on the side of the affected kidney.
• Blood test: renal parameters, high blood calcium level
• Urine examination: presence of blood in the urine
• Ultrasound of the kidneys and abdomen
• Imaging examinations: CT scan, the examination makes it possible to accurately determine the extent of the cancer and to look for the presence of metastases (cancer spread) in other organs. In kidney cancer, metastases can develop throughout the body, with the most frequently affected organs being the lungs, bones, liver and brain.
• Bone scan: when Bone metastases are suspected
• Intravenous urography: X-ray with contrast medium of the excretory urinary tract as well as the renal pelvis, ureter and bladder.
**Thanks to these medical examinations, the doctor can define the stage of the disease: **
• Stage T (tumour): between level 1 and 4, depends on the size of the tumour
• Stage N (nodule): defined by a level between 0 and 2, depends on the extent of the cancer in the lymph glands
• Stage M (metastases): defines between 0 and 1, depending on the extent of the cancer in other parts of the body.
The oncologist will establish a treatment plan based on these results.

Several treatments are possible for kidney cancer:
Surgery:
Surgery is the main treatment for kidney cancer. It is used to remove all or part of the kidney. This operation is called nephrectomy. The type of nephrectomy you will have depends on the size of the tumour and the stage of the cancer. Doctors perform a partial nephrectomy when possible to leave part of the kidney in place, for example. In some cases, they may have to do a radical nephrectomy, removing the entire kidney, in an attempt to completely remove the tumour from the kidney.
General anesthesia.
Radiotherapy:
Radiation therapy is a locoregional treatment using high-energy ionizing radiation to destroy cancer cells.
This therapeutic method makes it possible to precisely target an area to be treated to irradiate the tumor.
Chemotherapy:
Chemotherapy includes all drug therapies that act on cancer cells and aim either to destroy them or to limit their multiplication.
Arterial embolization:
The kidney tumor needs blood to grow. Arterial embolization is an intervention that blocks the blood supply to the tumor. It can be used before surgery to reduce bleeding if a large kidney tumour is removed. Arterial embolization can also be used to relieve pain when a person with advanced kidney cancer cannot have surgery.
Immunotherapy:
Immunotherapy is a form of biological therapy that uses the immune system to help destroy cancer cells.

In the event that the patient undergoes surgery, after the operation, the patient remains in intensive care for a few days and then returns to the department in which he or she was admitted. Hospitalization often lasts two to three weeks.
It is advisable to avoid any significant effort or travel within the first month after the procedure.
A chest tube is placed at the end of the procedure.
After the treatment, the specialist determines with the patient his/her follow-up.

About Kidney cancer treatment

The total duration of treatment varies according to each patient.
**Once the cancer treatment is completed, a follow-up is performed to: **
• Monitor the response to treatment of the treated patient
• Identify any long-term side effects
• Monitor the general well-being of the treated person
• Check for any signs of cancer recurrence
• Monitor for the absence of the development of A second cancer.
Some complex diseases such as cancer can lead some patients to seek a second medical opinion. Almost 50% of patients using the second medical opinion have seen their treatment options evolve. Seeking a second medical opinion is perfectly legitimate when faced with a serious illness.
Click here to find out more about the second MEDICAIM medical opinion
MEDICAIM is looking for the best specialists for you and we will offer you several renowned doctors.
MEDICAIM organizes your entire stay for you: post-operative nursing care, biological follow-up, therapeutic, nutritional and psychological support.
Any additional questions? Ask your MEDICAIM doctor about it: careteam@medicaim.com