Transcript of Video
Hi, I’m Russell Libby with Northwoods Urology of Texas, and today we’re gonna be talking about kidney cancer. As a urologist, I see many things, but one of the things that I see frequently is kidney cancer.
Now, kidney cancer comes in different shapes and sizes. There’s different types of kidney cancer. What I wanna talk about today is, if you came in to see me with kidney cancer or symptoms for kidney cancer, what I would do. Well, how does kidney cancer present?
Kidney cancer can present with blood in the urine, a mass that’s palpable in the abdomen, or pain in your side. These are infrequent reasons why we find kidney cancer, but they are the classic symptoms suggestive of a kidney cancer. Most likely, if you have a kidney cancer and you come to see me, you’ve had it diagnosed on what we call incidental imaging. That just means for one problem or another you got a scan, such as a CAT scan or an MRI, and you were diagnosed with a kidney mass. At that point, we don’t know it’s cancer, but it was a mass in the kidney, and most often that can be suggestive of a cancer.
Anyone who comes to see me with a significant mass on their kidney that appears to enhance on a CAT scan is likely gonna represent a kidney cancer. Now, there are different types of kidney cancer, and I’ll mention a few just so that you’re aware. There’s clear cell kidney cancer, papillary kidney cancer, chromophobe; there’s different types of kidney cancers. And depending on what type it is, it can have an effect on how aggressive it is. As I’ve said, kidney tumors come in different shapes and sizes.
If you come with a small kidney tumor, we can go on a protocol such as one for small renal masses. I call it a small renal mass protocol. What we would do is we would look at the tumor and, based on the size, come up with a strategy on how to best survey your tumor to make sure it doesn’t get large and how to best move forward. If you have a small kidney tumor and it seems to be relatively stable in size, this can be watched. If you have something that is growing or a little bit larger, sometimes these need intervention. The interventions that are available include surgery, which would include removing part or all of the kidney.
Or alternatively, if it looks very concerning or more amenable to getting the tumor removed or if that’s more in line with your preferences, we can take out part of the kidney to preserve your kidney function as a whole or we can take out all of the kidney and the surrounding tissue, which is called a radical nephrectomy. In any of these cases, I think it’s important that we address what you need done and the appropriate treatment strategy.
What I always like to do is evaluate the patient, their risk factors, what the tumor looks like, and come up with a treatment strategy that works for you and your life. What I suggest is that you come sit down in clinic and we’ll review the images together. I’ll show you exactly what is concerning or not concerning, and we can come up with a treatment plan for you.
So, please call and make an appointment with me today, Russell Libby at Northwoods Urology of Texas. You can visit our website or call us at 404-3000.