Cancer of the kidney is a common urological malignancy. There are over 13,100 people diagnosed with kidney cancer each year in the UK. Kidney cancer is more common in men than in women. It is the 7th most common cancer in the UK. For reasons that are not well understood, the incidence is rising and has increased by 36% in the last decade (1)
Nearly 2 out 3 people diagnosed (62%) are over 65 years old.
Kidney cancer is a cancer that starts in the kidneys. In order to understand kidney cancer, it helps to know about the normal structure and function of the kidneys
The kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist and weighing about 4 to 5 ounces. They are fixed to the upper back wall of the abdominal cavity. One kidney is just to the left and the other just to the right of the backbone. Both are protected by the lower ribcage.
The kidney is contained within a fibrous sheath called Gerota’s fascia. Within this fascia is a layer of fat that surrounds the kidney. The capsule is a thin layer that covers the outer surface of the kidney (analogous to the red external layer of an apple).
The primary vein that drains the kidney (renal vein) merges with the vein that takes blood to the heart (vena cava). The term “renal” means pertaining to the kidney. An adrenal gland is located above each kidney within Gerota’s fascia.
Cancer begins in cells, the building blocks that make up tissues. Tissues make up the organs of the body.
Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old, they die, and new cells take their place.
Sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. New cells form when the body does not need them, and old cells do not die when they should. These extra cells can form a mass of tissue called a growth or tumour.
Tumours can be benign (non cancerous) or malignant (cancerous)
What is kidney cancer?
There are several types of kidney cancer, but most cases are ‘renal cell cancer’. This is sometimes called ‘renal adenocarcinoma’ or ‘renal cell carcinoma’ or ‘hypernephroma’.
Some less usual types of cancer arise from other types of cell within the kidney. For example:
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Cancer of the kidney is a common urological malignancy. There are over 13,100 people diagnosed with kidney cancer each year in the UK. Kidney cancer is more common in men than in women. It is the 7th most common cancer in the UK.