Why is Early Diagnosis of Kidney Cancer Important?

Kidney cancer develops when cells in both the kidneys grow abnormally and quickly form a kidney tumor in the shape of a lump. One of the most frequent kidney cancer diagnoses is Renal Cell Carcinoma which grows in the tiny tubules in the kidney that cleanses human blood. Being diagnosed with cancer can be a daunting experience for most people. But, today, with advanced medical research, various types of cancers are fully curable if diagnosed early.

Early Diagnosis of Kidney Cancer

If there is a delay in kidney cancer diagnosis, cancerous cells may start spreading to other parts of the body and have higher morbidity for the cancer patient. Delaying kidney cancer diagnosis could also lead to a lower survival rate for patients, more complicated health problems, and expensive cancer treatment. 

For this reason, early diagnosis is preferred as it gives the highest chance of successful cancer treatment and reduces mortality by providing early care to kidney cancer patients. A kidney cancer diagnosis at stage 1 or 2 has a higher 5-year survival rate than advanced stage 3 or 4 kidney tumors.

Kidney cancer diagnosis and treatment

Why is Kidney Cancer Diagnosis Delayed?

Some of the primary reasons for the delay in early detection are:

• People may not be aware of kidney cancer signs and symptoms like a lump in the abdomen, blood in the urine, loss of appetite, and bone pain. 

• Some may not get a physician appointment at the right time.

• Doctors may diagnose other possibilities before detecting kidney cancer.

• Sometimes, a person may feel worried about expensive cancer treatment if diagnosed with cancer.

If the high cancer treatment cost is the reason for the delay in kidney cancer diagnosis, you could try medical crowdfunding. Internet crowdfunding helps people raise funds for medical causes like cancer, rare disease, critical illness, and many more without debt and repayment obligations. For crowdfunding any personal, social, education, or medical cause, you could choose ImpactGuru- the most trusted and effective crowdfunding platform incubated with the mission to provide affordable and accessible healthcare for everyone. 

Ever since its existence, ImpactGuru has helped nearly 25,000 patients to raise funds for their urgent medical treatment. Like others, you can also start a fundraiser for kidney cancer treatment to reduce your financial burden. Want to know how?

Read Also - How Crowdfunding Can Solve Financial Crisis During Cancer?

Kidney Cancer Diagnosis

1. Urine Test

A person with kidney cancer may have blood in the urine. If cancer attacks the kidneys, there are chances of that happening. It is better to have a health check with your doctor for a kidney cancer diagnosis. A doctor may use a urinalysis test or urine cytology to check for blood in the urine. Here, a doctor may collect a small sample of your urine to verify if there is blood in it or not. It also identifies cancer cells, if any, in the urine.

2. Blood Test

Kidney cancer diagnosis blood test

A blood test is usually not used to diagnose kidney cancer. But, a blood chemistry test and complete blood count can help find symptoms of kidney cancer in the blood. For instance:

• High red blood cell count in the body- This situation means a person has anemia, the most common sign of different cancers. 

• Low red blood cell count- When a kidney cancer cell starts making a hormone that causes bone marrow, such a condition is known as erythrocytosis.

• A high amount of liver enzymes- This shows that cancer has started spreading to the liver. 

• A high level of blood calcium- It’s a sign of cancer affecting the bones in the body.

4. Imaging Tests

   1. CT Scan- For this test, persons lie on a bed that slides into a CT scanner.  They need to hold their breath just once or a few more times. A CT scan gets in-depth images of the inside of the body. It makes it easy and practical for kidney cancer diagnosis. 

      
      

   2. MRI Scan- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) utilizes radio waves, a large magnet, and a computer to get detailed images of organs and structures inside the body. It helps to identify if cancer has spread to the brain or spine. An MRI Scan is a painless kidney cancer diagnosis process but a bit noisy so doctors suggest wearing earplugs.

      
      

   3. Ultrasound- It’s a test conducted with the help of sound waves that develop images on a computer. An ultrasound test helps to identify if a kidney tumor is solid-based or fluid-filled. Solid kidney tumors tend to become cancerous or malignant. 

      
      

   4. Intravenous Pyelogram (IVP)- IVP tests with the help of X-rays and special dyes observe ureters, b