Renal Cell Carcinoma Bone Treatment

Renal cell carcinoma, a form of cancer, occurs when malignant, cancerous cells form in the very small tubes of the kidney. Renal cell cancer spreads quickly and affects other parts of the body, including the bones. Unfortunately, the survival rate drops dramatically when the cancer has spread, or metastasized, to other areas of the body, and, in such cases, treatment options may be limited.

Radiation

• Radiation therapy is a treatment option for patients diagnosed with renal cell cancer. In radiation therapy, the body is exposed to "high energy" X-rays that can kill or prevent the growth of the cancer cells. This type of treatment is most effective in the earlier stages of the disease. If the cancer has spread to the bones, radiation therapy will attack any cancer cells in the bones, as the entire body is exposed to the high energy X-rays during the radiation therapy.

  This type of treatment may be external, in which a machine outside the body exposes the patient to the X-rays, or internal, in which needles or other devices are inserted in the body adjacent to where the cancer has spread. Ask your oncologist about which course of radiation therapy would be most effective to treat renal cell cancer that has spread to the bones.

Chemotherapy is Not Effective

• Is chemotherapy, an oft-prescribed treatment for cancer patients, an option? Chemotherapy involves using drugs and chemicals to stop the growth of malignant cells. The treatment can help combat renal cell cancer if the cancer is found early enough---that is, if the cancer has not spread beyond the kidney itself. However, according to bonetumor.org, chemotherapy is not a feasible treatment if the renal cell cancer has metastasized in the patient's bones.

Bisphosphonate Treatment

• Bisphosphonate treatment has been found to be effective in helping patients with renal cell cancer that has spread to their bones. This medical therapy uses drugs designed to strengthen bones and improve bone density. It has been used to treat osteoporosis and has proved effective in treating patients whose renal cell cancer has spread to the bones. Ask your doctor if this is an proper course of treatment in your case.

  According to a letter by M. Dror Michaelson, Daniel I. Rosenthal and Matthew R. Smith of Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, published in the Oct. 2004 issue of the "Journal of Clinical Oncology," a man diagnosed with renal cell cancer that had spread to his bones was placed on bisphosphonate treatment; three years later, he was still on the treatment and was stable. While this result cannot be expected every time, the case study does seem to indicate that this may be a viable treatment option.