Dr. Rachna Garg

Cancer of the kidneys is amongst the ten most common types of Cancer. There are many types of renal cancer with Renal cell carcinoma being the most common amongst them. Renal cancer is said to be triggered by a genetic mutation but the cause for this mutation is yet unknown. While kidney cancer appears suddenly in some cases, in others it is inherited from the parents. Here are 4 things you should know about cancer of the kidneys.

Risk Factors
Along with a mutation of the genes which is beyond our control, some lifestyle factors can also increase a person’s risk of suffering from renal cancer. Some of these factors are:

1. Smoking
2. Obesity
3. High blood pressure

Symptoms
An early diagnosis can make the treatment of renal cancer much easier than if it is left undiagnosed. Hence, it becomes important to recognise the symptoms of this disease. Common renal cancer symptoms include:

1. Blood in the urine
2. A lump on either side of the abdomen
3. Persistent pain on one side of the abdomen
4. Tiredness
5. Unexplained weight loss
6. Fever

These symptoms are common to a number of other diseases as well and hence if you experience them, it is best to get yourself checked out by a doctor. In order to confirm a diagnosis, your doctor is likely to ask for blood tests, urine tests, an ultrasound and a CT scan or an MRI. In most cases, your doctor will also schedule a biopsy to check for cancer cells in the kidney tissue.

Stages of kidney cancer
Once cancer has been diagnosed, your doctor will need to determine the extent of damage caused in order to find the best form of treatment for the disease. Stages of kidney cancer are determined by the size of the tumour and on how much it has spread from the original location. There are four stages of kidney cancer.
Stage I – When the cancer cells are restricted to the kidneys and the tumour is no bigger than 3” in diameter
Stage II – The tumour has grown bigger in size but is still restricted to the kidney
Stage III – The tumour may be big or small but has spread to at least one lymph node or has affected the blood vessels
Stage IV – The cancerous cells have spread to nearby lymph nodes or other organs or the tumour has grown through the fatty layer and outer fibrous layer of the kidney.

Treatment
Kidney cancer can be cured easily if detected in the early stages by removing the tumour and adjacent tissue or the entire kidney if need be. Removing one kidney is not fatal as a person can live a healthy life with a single kidney.

With the recent number of breast cancer cases on the rise, it is important that we should get the examination done on a regular basis as a preventive measure. Even if someone is suffering from it, it is important that we should make an effort and learn about.

If you have breast cancer then a surgery will be part of your treatment. Based on the condition, surgery will be carried out due to any of the following reasons:

1. To remove the cancerous tissues from the breast
2. To reconstruct the breast once the cancer is removed
3. To check whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes below the arm
4. To treat symptoms of cancer that has progressed to an advanced stage

Breast cancer surgery may be classified into two types

1. Mastectomy: Mastectomy involves removing the entire breast; tissues in the adjoining region may also be removed. A double mastectomy is a procedure where both the breasts are removed.
2. Breast-conserving surgery: In this surgery, only parts of the breast affected by cancer are removed. The area of the breast that is to be removed will depend on the severity of the cancer. Some healthy tissues may also be removed in this surgery.

Usually, if a woman is in the initial stages of cancer then she may opt for the latter as it entails removing parts of the breast. They may also undergo radiation therapy along with these surgeries.
For checking if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes below the arm, the lymph nodes are removed from the body. Once they are removed, they are studied under a microscope to check if it has spread, if yes then the extent of their damage. This procedure is carried out along with the surgery to remove the cancer.

Once the mastectomy procedure is completed, you can opt for a breast reconstruction surgery to rebuild the area. You may opt for this procedure at the time of breast cancer removal or at a later stage. If you are considering breast reconstruction surgery then you should discuss it with your surgeon.

Surgery is sometimes not used to treat cancer, but in slowing the progression of cancer or even reducing its symptoms.It is important you talk to your surgeon before the procedure to understand the goal of the surgery.

Breast cancer is on the rise in india. Surveys show that every 4 out of 5 indian women suffer from an advanced stage of breast cancer by the time they get themselves examined at the hospital. Urban women are at two times more risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer than rural women. Being overweight, eating unhealthy food, and consuming excessive alcohol or tobacco are some of causes that can make you susceptible to this disease.

How you can avoid breast cancer by being aware.

• Dimpling of the skin around the breast or a lump in the breast is the first sign that you should keep an eye out for.
• Apart from self-examining your breasts every month for a lump, going for a mammography (an x-ray of the breast) is vital for early detection of the problem.
• Consult a gynaecologist before going for the test as its frequency depends on your age and risk factor. About 80-90% of tumours can be traced through this screening.

Breast cancer may run in family. If there is no family history of breast cancer, you start doing mammogram at 40 yrs of age but if there is a family history you start even earlier as advised by your gynaecologist.

Breast cancer is most common amongst womenfolk but can occur in men as well. It follows the same path as any other cancer, the cells start growing at an alarming rate and can even spread to other parts of the body. These cells form a cluster or a lump that is tumour inside the breast and it’s usually a noticeable lump. Breast cancers can originate at any part of the breast but it’s usually the nipple ducts that channel the milk or the glands that make the milk are affected. 

Apart from these, there are a few uncommon types as well. Breast cancer does not always mean there will be a lump though, sometimes it can be detected through a screening mammogram, especially, programmed to detect cancers at an early stage even before the symptoms start to show or can be felt. Yet there are a lot of telling signs of breast cancer that might go unnoticed by the untrained eye, so for your benefit, here are some questions that you should ask yourself: 

1. Does your nipple/breast feel unusual? Signs of this include; 
   • formation lumpy near the nipple or underarm area 
   • soreness near the nipple area involving skin irritation, rashes and redness 
   • “orange peel texture” , when your breast feels like the texture of an orange peel, the pores in the breast enlarge. 
2. Does your nipple/breast look unusual? Signs of this include; 
   • uneven breasts, where one side is more swollen or has shrivelled 
   • your nipple might be turning inwards or looks inverted 
   • small indentations or dimpling of the breast 
   • colour of the nipple might change due to inflammation and redness 
3. Is there any discharge from your nipple? If you see your nipple discharging fluids and you are not lactating then check the colour of the discharge. It could be bloody, or a clear liquid or a yellow discharge. 
4. Are the veins in your breasts prominent? If the veins in your breasts have become visible and easily noticeable then it is a sign that you should get checked for breast cancer. 
5. Do any of these later symptoms apply to you? In the later stages the symptoms are not limited to just the breast or nipple and progresses bony pain swelling of the arm increased size of lymph nodes in the armpit.