What is renal or kidney cancer?
Renal cancer or kidney cancer is a malignant tumour that affects the cells of the renal tubules. It accounts for about 3% of cancers in adults, is more common in men than women, and is usually diagnosed in people of between 50 and 70 years of age.
Smokers are twice as likely to develop renal cancer when compared to non-smokers. Other risk factors include exposure to toxic chemicals and obesity.
Nowadays, most renal cancers are typically discovered before they spread to other surrounding organs, which in most cases leads to successful treatment.
Symptoms
- The presence of blood in the urine.
- Pain in the sides (between the ribs and the hips).
Most renal cancer diagnoses occur incidentally, which means that the condition is diagnosed during a routine examination (using ultrasound, CT or magnetic resonance) without the patient experiencing any related symptoms.
Treatment of renal or kidney cancer
At the Serrate & Ribal Institute of Urology, we are proponents of laparoscopic surgery, a state-of-the-art surgical technique that is performed through small incisions in the abdomen no larger than 1.5 cm. This technique significantly reduces the duration of the hospital stay and the postoperative effects, as well as allowing for quicker recovery.
We have a 3D laparoscopy system which provides improved perception in terms of depth, in addition to allowing for greater precision of movement during surgical procedures and reducing surgery time. This system proves particularly useful when suturing the kidney after performing a partial nephrectomy (excision of the tumour while preserving the rest of the kidney).