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How to Treat Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma is cancer that affects the kidneys. There are 4 different types of renal cell carcinoma: clear renal carcinoma, granular renal cell carcinoma, mixed granular renal cell carcinoma, and spindle renal cell carcinoma. Some symptoms of the cancer include blood in the urine, pain in the back and or the abdomen and swelling in the abdomen. There are multiple treatments available for renal cell carcinoma, despite the dire nature of the disease; therefore, one rightfully can have the hope to treat this cancer.

Instructions

    • 1

      Consult with your physician to determine the best available treatment for you. If you are not satisfied with his or her response to your needs, do not be afraid to go for a 2nd or 3rd opinion. Sometimes it is important to seek the advice that best matches your interests; therefore, it is to your advantage to seek multiple opinions on the treatment of your cancer.

    • 2

      Undergo fractionated dose chemotherapy and radiation. These two forms of treatment are the most powerful when treating the most fatal and serious cases of renal cell carcinoma. The success rate of survival is high; however, the consequences of using these two forms of intense treatment are also dangerous as well.

    • 3

      Ask about the use of TomoTherapy HI-ART. This form of therapy is very powerful since it is able to use CT technology to create an image of the tumor and administer a 360 degree of acute radiation to the site of the tumor. This type of therapy is not available at all hospitals. If this is a sort of treatment that interests you, ask your physician to see if you can get referred to another hospital that specializes in this treatment.

    • 4

      Undergo surgical resection of the tumor. Surgery may be the most effective way in getting rid of the tumor entirely and treating the cancer. However, surgical resection is only available to those who have a specific stage of cancer. Usually when the tumor has not spread to the other parts of the body, then it is most desirable to undergo surgery.

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