This video shows a Renal Mass.
A renal mass, or tumor, is an abnormal growth in the kidney. Some renal masses are benign (not cancerous) and some are malignant (cancerous). One in four renal masses is benign.
Kidney cancer is caused when DNA in cells in one or both kidneys mutate, which may lead to uncontrolled cell division and growth. While the exact cause of a person's kidney cancer may not be known, certain risk factors are strongly linked to the disease, including smoking tobacco and obesity.
A mass or lump in the abdomen, side, or back can also be a sign of kidney cancer. It can feel like a hard, thickening, or bulging bump under the skin. About 45 percent of people with RCC have an abdominal mass. But kidney lumps are hard to feel, especially in the early stages.
Renal cell cancer, also called renal adenocarcinoma, or hypernephroma can often be cured if it is diagnosed and treated when still localized to the kidney and to the immediately surrounding tissue. The probability of cure is directly related to the stage or degree of tumor dissemination.
A kidney ultrasound may be used to assess the size, location, and shape of the kidneys and related structures, such as the ureters and bladder. Ultrasound can detect cysts, tumors, abscesses, obstructions, fluid collection, and infection within or around the kidneys.
A CT scan is also sometimes called a CAT scan (Computerized Axial Tomography). While CT scans do show a bit more detail than an ultrasound, they still cannot identify cancerous tissue - and this can easily lead to false negatives. PET/CT scans, on the other hand, provide you with far more accurate and detailed results.
Because kidney cancer cells usually do not respond well to chemo, chemo is not a standard treatment for kidney cancer. Some chemo drugs, such as cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and gemcitabine have been shown to help a small number of patients.
In a large retrospective study by Frank et al.,10 2,935 solid renal tumors were treated in a 30-year period. Of these tumors, 12.8% were benign and 87.2% were malignant. Of the tumors more than 1 cm in diameter, 46.3% were benign while 98% of malignant tumors were low grade.
Imaging tests such as computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans can often find small kidney cancers, but these tests are expensive. Ultrasound is less expensive and can also detect some early kidney cancers.
Renal masses can be divided into cystic and solid lesions. The most common are cysts in up to 27% of patients over 50 years. CT- or MRI-enhancing masses are classified as solid or complex cystic. Eighty-five percent of expansive solid masses are malignant.
Solid kidney tumors can be benign, but most often are found to be cancer. Kidney cancer is one of the top 10 most common cancers diagnosed in the United States. Nearly 15,000 people will die from this disease in 2020. Of the people who are diagnosed early (stage I or II cancer), 75-80% will survive.
Every year in the U.S., more than 67,000 new cases of renal cancer are diagnosed, the majority of which are small masses (under 4 cm). However, large renal masses ≥4 cm still account for a significant number of cases.
Kidney cancer usually doesn't have signs or symptoms in its early stages. In time, signs and symptoms may develop, including Blood in your urine, which may appear pink, red, or cola-colored. Pain in your back or side that doesn't go away.
The growth rate of renal masses in that study was 0.28 cm/year (range 0.09-0.86 cm/year). A somewhat faster growth rate was observed in the subgroup of patients with pathologically confirmed renal cancer (0.4 cm/year, range 0.42-1.6 cm/year).
RCC occurs when cancer cells start growing uncontrollably in the lining of the kidney's tubules. RCC is a fast-growing cancer and often spreads to the lungs and surrounding organs.