Cancer is a major disease killing many people all over the world. There are different types of cancers that affect different people and they have varying prevention and treatment methods. Renal cell carcinoma is also known as kidney cancer. This is a disease that occurs when cancer cell form in kidney tubules. This is the seventh common type of cancer among men that is caused by risk factors such as obesity, smoking and hepatitis C. This article covers renal cell carcinoma prognosis in terms of survival rates and life expectancy.
How is kidney cancer diagnosed?
The first sign that indicates the possibility of this condition is presence of blood in the urine. At times people suffering from this condition experience lump in the abdomen. The diagnosis process involves the doctor taking physical examinations and other tests such as MRI, ultrasound and CT scan among others.
Survival rate and life expectancy
The survival rate for kidney cancer is determined by the percentage of people who survive at least five years of discovering this condition. The prognosis of kidney cancer is based on certain factors such as the renal cell cancer stage, the method of treatment and the tumor historical grade among other factors. Tumors which are less than four centimeters have a survival rate around 90-95 percent. Larger tumors can still survive at 80-85 percent while those that extend to the renal capsule have a survival rate of around 60 percent.
What are the treatments options available?
The treatment options are highly determined by the stage of the cancer. Patients who are eligible for surgery and have small tumors, a partial nephrectomy can be done. This is an operation that removes the tumor and spares the kidney. In cases where the surgical process cannot go through, cryoablation can be a perfect solution. This is a procedure that is aimed at freezing the cancer cells.
Factors that affect prognosis
The health of the person is very important when predicting the prognosis of this disease after which it is diagnosed. In most cases, you will find out that people suffering from kidney cancer tend to be old and this has an impact on the survival rates. The major factor that affects the prognosis of this disease is the stage during diagnosis. The chances of surviving are high if the condition is identified early and removed through surgical process from the kidney. This is easy to deal with as compared to more severe conditions which are difficult to handle.
Renal cell carcinoma prognosis enables you to get more information on the factors affecting prognosis, life expectancy and survival rates. It is advisable to seek the right treatment once you find out that you are suffering from this disease. It is easy to deal with it at its earlier stages rather than seek for treatment when the condition has grown bigger. Living a healthy life and avoiding different factors increases your chances of survival and you are in a position to continue enjoying a healthy life. There are different treatments that can be administered depending on the condition and stage of the disease.