National Kidney Cancer Awareness Month
Kidney Cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States. According to federal estimates, there were more than 76,000 new diagnoses and 13,780 deaths in 2021. That’s why March is Kidney Cancer Awareness Month. During this time we encourage everyone to learn more about Kidney Cancer and help spread awareness of common warning signs, prevention, and treatment.
KIDNEY CANCER RISK FACTORS
Reducing or eliminating certain risk factors in your daily life can help you fight Kidney Cancer. Stopping smoking or the misuse of certain pain medicines are common factors that can lead to Kidney Cancer. Additional common Kidney Cancer risk factors include:
- High blood pressure
- Workplace exposures
- Gender (twice as common in men)
- Race (African Americans are more at risk)
- Individuals with advanced kidney disease
Beyond smoking, diet, blood pressure, and pain medicines, Kidney Cancer can occur more commonly in some genetic conditions than in others. If your family has a history of Kidney Cancer, Hippel-Lindau disease, or kidney issues; your risk of developing Kidney Cancer is much higher and you should contact our team for regular checkups. In addition to genetic and hereditary risk factors, people who have or had certain diseases may also be at higher risk of developing Kidney Cancer:
- Hereditary papillary renal cell carcinoma
- Hereditary leiomyoma-renal cell carcinoma
- Birt-Hogg-Dube (BHD) syndrome
- Cowden syndrome
- Tuberous sclerosis
HOW TO TREAT KIDNEY CANCER
Depending on the severity of your Kidney Cancer, a common treatment for Kidney Cancer is surgery to remove all or part of the affected organ. Some individuals may also need chemotherapy or radiation therapy after surgery to destroy unseen cancer cells that may remain following the procedure. Individuals with more severe Kidney Cancer may require molecularly targeted therapy or an immunotherapeutic to further destroy unseen cancer cells.
CONTACT MIDWEST NEPHROLOGY ASSOCIATES TODAY
Have any questions or concerns? Our dedicated team of physicians and certified staff are here to help answer all your questions and can help set up an appointment for you or a loved one. Contact Midwest Nephrology Associates for more information on Kidney Cancer and for help finding a treatment that works best for you.