Kidney Cancer Treatment in Mountlake Terrace, Washington (WA)

Over 90 percent of all kidney cancers are renal cell carcinoma which isn’t generally responsive to traditional chemotherapy or radiation. The treatment of choice for renal cell carcinoma is removal of cancerous tissue through surgery, radiofrequency ablation (targeted heat treatment) or cryoablation (targeted cold treatment.)

There are several systemic treatments your doctor may consider for late stages of kidney cancer. In selecting a treatment plan which is right for you, your doctor will consider your age and overall health, the tumor’s size, its staging, and how aggressively the cancer is spreading in your body

Surgery for Kidney Cancer

According to the Society of Interventional Radiology, the current gold standard of kidney cancer treatment is a partial nephrectomy in which just the cancerous portion of the kidney is removed, and healthy kidney tissue is left intact. Your doctor will also remove any cancer which has metastasized (spread) to lymph nodes, tissues, or other organs.

Partial nephrectomy is effective for smaller tumors (less than 7 cm in diameter). For larger tumors a radical nephrectomy is performed where the entire kidney is removed, along with affected adrenal glands, lymph nodes, and any other affected tissue.

Your doctor may specialize in laparoscopic or "keyhole" nephrectomy in which a tiny tube with a camera (laparoscope) is inserted through small cuts in the abdomen to access the diseased kidney. Cancerous tissue is then removed through the small incisions. Laparoscopic surgery often results in a shorter recovery time and less pain than traditional open incision surgery.

Sometimes when one kidney is removed, the other kidney doesn’t function properly. In this case, dialysis or a kidney transplant may be indicated.

Ablation is a promising new therapy in which heat or cold precisely targets cancer cells. Cryoablation uses cold to kill cancer cells, while radiofrequency ablation uses heat to kill cancer cells. Both ablation techniques spare healthy kidney tissue and are less invasive than traditional open surgeries. Ablation is performed under general anesthesia or conscious sedation, and patients are often able to resume normal activity within a few days of surgery.

Treatments for Late Stages of Kidney Cancer

If your kidney cancer is inoperable or has progressed to stage IV (metastasized beyond the kidney), your doctor may administer cytokine therapy which uses interleukin-2 or interferon to target cancer cells. There are serious side effects for cytokine therapy. New kidney cancer therapies involve drugs such as sorafenib, sunitinib, and everolimus which directly target molecules which fuel cancer cell growth.

If cancer has spread to nearby veins, your doctor may perform arterial embolization in which a special liquid is injected by catheter (small tube) into the vein to block blood flow to the affected kidney and tumor. Tumor growth is either stunted or the tumor shrinks with decreased blood supply.

Some patients experience an improved quality of life after arterial embolization. Sometimes the tumor shrinks sufficiently so that ablation can be performed.

Discuss these options with your urologist to determine the best treatment plan for you.