Kidney cancer is a disease of the kidneys, the reddish-brown curving organs about the size of a small fist, located above the waist to either side of the spine.Kidney cancer starts in the cells of the kidney. They are closer to the back of the body than to the front. In kidney cancer, cells grow unregulated by the signals that normally regulate cell growth and death, and form tumors.
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.

Symptoms of Kidney Cancer

In its early stages, kidney cancer usually causes no obvious signs or troublesome symptoms. However, as a kidney tumor grows, symptoms may occur. These may include:

Blood in the urine. Blood may be present one day and not the next. In some cases, a person can actually see the blood..
A lump or mass in the kidney area.
A pain in the back just below the ribs that doesn't go away.
A mass in the area of the kidneys that's discovered during an examination

Other less common symptoms may include:

Fatigue;
Loss of appetite;
Weight loss;
Recurrent fevers;
A pain in the side that doesn't go away; and/or
A general feeling of poor health.

High blood pressure or a lower than normal number of red cells in the blood (anemia) may also signal a kidney tumor; however, these symptoms occur less often.

Treatment for Kidney Cancer

Surgery: Surgery is the most common treatment for renal cell carcinoma, although it may not be appropriate for every patient with this type of tumor. It is difficult to remove the entire tumor without removing the entire affected kidney, although this may be attempted in specific situations. Surgical removal of the primary tumor is usually recommended when the tumor remains contained within the kidney itself. It also may be used when the tumor extends to the nearby blood vessels or the lymph nodes in the region of the primary tumor (called local or regional lymph nodes). The goal of surgery under these circumstances is to cure the disease.

Immunotherapy. This treatment uses your body's immune system to fight cancer. An oncologist may administer a substance known as a biological response modifier, such as interferon or interleukin-2. Normally produced by the body, these substances are also made in laboratories. Studies show that people may do better when they're treated with both interferon and surgery.

Radical Nephrectomy: The surgical removal of the entire affected kidney, the tumor, the nearby adrenal gland, and regional lymph nodes is called radical nephrectomy There are usually 4 to 5 incisions that are approximately 1 inch in size. Through these multiple openings, the surgeon carefully removes the kidney. This approach has significantly improved the recovery process, though carries increased risk of complications. It requires specialized training of the surgeon, and though widely available throughout the United States, it is not as readily available as a standard, open nephrectomy.

Radiation Therapy: Radiation therapy, also called irradiation or radiotherapy, involves the use of high energy waves (500-1000 times the energy of a normal x-ray) to treat cancer. These invisible rays enter the body at a very specific point directed by a plan developed by the radiation oncologist. They disrupt the activity of any cells in their path, damaging or killing both healthy and cancerous cells.

Chemotherapy. Standard chemotherapy, which uses drugs to attack rapidly dividing cells, hasn't proved particularly useful for renal cell carcinoma.