Renal cell carcinoma
• Concept and Etiology: How does the disease affect the
reproductive and urinary systems in particular? How does it
deviate from the definition of health discussed in Module One?
• Our kidney’s remove excess water, salt, and waste from
the blood through the renal arteries and are eliminated
through urine. Urine which is collected in the renal pelvis
and travels through the ureters to the bladder. Kidneys
also regulate blood pressure by with a hormone called
Renin. Erythropoietin is a hormone that is created in the
kidneys that tells the bone marrow to make more red
blood cells. Renal cell carcinoma, also called renal cell
cancer, or renal cell adenocarcinoma, is the most common
type of kidney cancers. Typically, it appears with one
tumor in the kidney, but occasionally there will be two or
more kidneys on one kidney or both kidneys at the same
time. (The American Cancer Society medical and editorial
content team, 2020) a a a a a a
• Classification: How is the disease classified?
• There are four Stages of kidney cancer I, II, III, and IV. The
staging system most often used for kidney cancer is
Cancer (AJCC) TNM system. The TNM system is based on
3 key components: The size and extent of the main tumor,
the spread to nearby lymph nodes (N), and the spread
(metastasis) to distant sites (M) (The American Cancer
Society medical and editorial content team, 2020).
• Clinical Manifestations (Symptoms and Signs): What are the
symptoms and signs of the disease or disorder? Be sure you
understand the difference between symptoms (subjective) and
signs (objective).
• a lump in the abdomen
• blood in the urine
• unexplained weight loss
• loss of appetite
• fatigue
• vision problems
• persistent pain in the side
• excessive hair growth (in women) (Team, 2020)
• Diagnostic Tests: What are some additional diagnostic tests that
can be done to illuminate the diagnosis? For example, when you
injure your ankle, they take an x-ray to determine if it is broken
or sprained.
• Tests that maybe performed to diagnose renal cell
carcinoma include blood tests, urine test, CT scan,
Ultrasound, and biopsy. Once the carcinoma is confirmed
they my order additional testing such as a PET Scan, bone
scan, and chest x-ray. (Team, 2020)
References
Team, H. E. (2020, August 28).
Renal Cell Cancer
. Retrieved from
Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/renal-cell-carcinoma
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team.
(2020, February 1).
Kidney Cancer Stages
. Retrieved from American
Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/kidney-
cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/staging.html
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team.
(2020, May 5).
What Is Kidney Cancer?
Retrieved from American
Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/kidney-
cancer/about/what-is-kidney-cancer.html
