In recent years, cases have become more frequent when doctors diagnose clear cell kidney cancer. How to treat this disease and what can we expect in the future? You can deal with this if you first understand what this tumor is and how it differs from other types of malignant neoplasms.
What is it about?
Clear cell hypernephroid cancer of the kidney usually develops in the tissue lining the proximal nephron canals. Cases of defeat of the pelvicalyceal system are somewhat less frequently recorded. Relative to other subspecies of oncological diseases, this one is not too common, as it is diagnosed in approximately two percent of all patients with oncology. At the moment, she belongs to the tenth position in terms of frequency of occurrence in the world.
Every year on our planet, 250,000 people are diagnosed with clear cell kidney cancer. Another 100,000 die each year due to this disease. Statistics show that to a greater extent, clear cell renal cell carcinoma of the kidney often affects the inhabitants of large cities. Risk group - people aged 50 to 70 years.
How to treat?
If clear cell kidney cancer is diagnosed, treatment can be varied. You can use folk remedies and additional therapy, but you can not neglect what doctors recommend. It is necessary to strictly follow the instructions for taking medications and undergo the prescribed procedures in a timely manner. If doctors recommend an operative way to treat a disease, you should trust their experience.
Usually, the tactics of treating the disease are chosen as soon as it was possible to establish the final diagnosis and understand to what stage of development the disease has reached. At the same time, doctors evaluate:
- age of patient;
- general body condition;
- what did clear cell kidney cancer metastasize;
- how big are the lesions of neighboring organs, tissues.
Effective Techniques: Surgery
If clear cell kidney cancer is diagnosed, doctors offer to use all the possibilities of modern medicine, first of all - developments in the field of surgery. It is believed that the operation is the most effective method of dealing with the disease.
With this method of oncology treatment, the doctor gets full access to the affected organs and tissues of the patient and can choose the best removal option on the spot, decide how large the area needs to be cleaned and how to do it. It happens like this:
- The blood vessels leading to the kidneys are tied off.
- Deletinga whole block of affected tissues: kidney, tumor, fiber.
- Lymph node dissection is done.
We call on immunity to help
Very good results, if clear cell kidney cancer was diagnosed, can be achieved by immune therapy. This is a method that effectively destroys the transformed tissue cells.
When diagnosing "clear cell kidney cancer", the micropreparation "Interleukin-2" is used in the first place. It is characterized by an active effect on tumor tissues, which leads to lysis of the neoplasm. Additionally, the agent affects the activity of T-lymphocytes. These cells begin to produce the active substance themselves.
Another remedy that has proven itself in medical practice is the drug "Interferon-alpha-2a". It can be combined with the drug mentioned above. This combination gives the brightest result.
Chemotherapy against cancer
When clear cell kidney cancer is diagnosed by doctors, prognosis after removal largely depends on what therapy is used. If it was decided to resort to surgery, this does not mean that the treatment is limited to the surgical table. After that, you will have to go through a rather long course of chemotherapy. It is also prescribed before the operation.
Drugs that can be used to fight kidney cancer:
- Cisplatin.
- "Doxorubicin".
- Methotrexate.
- Vinblastine.
In some cases, doctors recommend drug therapyproducts containing platinum. Medications can be combined with Gemcitabine.
Remember that chemotherapy as an independent method of fighting the disease cannot be used, as its effectiveness is too low. This is just an additional measure to make the treatment more effective and of high quality.
Radiation therapy
Palliative treatment for kidney cancer - radiation therapy. Effective in the case when the disease provoked metastases in the patient's bones. Radiation therapy can reduce pain.
Used as a fractionation of 3 Gy. The duration of the course is two weeks. Frequency - 10 times. In some cases, 4 Gy is prescribed 5 times. Then the course is reduced to a week. Statistics show that it is possible to achieve a reduction in pain in 80% of cases.
Hormones against cancer
Hormonal drugs alone will not help defeat kidney cancer, but their main advantage is the ability to slow down the growth of a malignant neoplasm. A fairly wide range of medicines are used, the most effective ones have shown themselves:
- Tamoxifen.
- Medroxyprogesterone.
In general, statistics show that the best outcomes can be expected only when the therapy combines several methods. Surgery is the most important stage of an integrated approach, but it is important to maintain the strength of the body of a sick person in other known ways.
What to expect?
If doctors detect clear cell kidney cancer, the prognosis depends on the stage at which the disease was detected. Also, much is determined by the nature of the oncology and whether metastases are present, how active they are. Of course, early detection of cancer increases the likelihood of a successful outcome.
If it was possible to diagnose the disease at the first stage, then the five-year survival rate exceeds 90%. In the second stage, this figure varies by about 70-75%. At the third stage, the five-year survival rate is no more than 65%. Finally, at the last stage of the disease, when the oncology has affected the lymph nodes and the tumor has grown into distant organs and tissues, about 10-40% of patients survive five years after the completion of therapy.
Some Features
In the event that a tumor was detected, the diameter of which does not exceed three centimeters, it is allowed to remove it by resection. Regardless of how large the formation is, it is possible to resort to this method during surgery only if the patient has only one kidney.
In the past few years, scientists have been able to develop several new techniques for removing tumors. The most famous innovative medical technologies:
- cybernetic knife;
- RF ablation;
- renal artery embolization.
All these methods allowed doctors to quickly and efficiently remove the tumor in the most difficult cases. Statistics show that in recent years, more and moredoctors cure those patients who would have been classified as hopeless even 5-7 years ago. But you should not even try to choose a technique for yourself, this can only be done by a highly qualified specialist. An oncologist studies the state of the patient's body and gets acquainted with his individual characteristics, on the basis of which he makes the final conclusion about the possibility of using one or another method.
Cancer and quality of life
The extent to which a person can maintain the quality of life depends on how much the disease has affected his body. Of course, the development of oncology reduces the five-year survival rate, and the prognosis becomes less and less favorable with each new step. But even in the case when the patient survived five years after undergoing therapy, the quality of life will never be the same as before.
Of course, the operation gives a good result, but in the future you will have to live without one kidney, which imposes certain restrictions on nutrition and lifestyle, daily activity. Doctors will also prescribe drug therapy, which you will have to adhere to literally for the rest of your life.
Targeted therapy
This technique has become known to physicians relatively recently and has already shown its effectiveness in the fight against oncology. The method is based on the use of specific drug therapy that affects cancer cells. The high level of effectiveness is due to targeting, that is, the target orientation of active substances. At the same time, he althybody cells do not suffer when taking such medicines. This means that side effects are significantly reduced (though not to zero).
When taking the drug, the active substance acts on molecules of one type and affects the cellular mechanisms that provoke the growth of tumor cells in a sick organism. The use of such drugs is already showing such great effectiveness that some scientists propose to completely replace immunotherapy with them. Whenever possible, today doctors tend to use the immune system in combination with the targeted one - this shows good results. The growth of malignant neoplasms is reduced by at least half.
Targeted therapy is indispensable when radiation and chemotherapy have already shown their ineffectiveness. Medications Used:
- Nexavar.
- Inlita.
- Torisel.
Home remedies for cancer
Of course, the main way to fight cancer is prescribed by a doctor after a complete examination of the patient, but it is allowed to resort to some home treatment methods to keep the body strong and help he althy cells fight degenerate ones. First of all, with kidney cancer, home treatment is reduced to following a special diet. It is prescribed by an oncologist, focusing on the characteristics of a particular case. It is allowed to eat only foods rich in vitamins that are easily absorbed by the human body.
Not allowed for kidney cancer:
- smoking;
- drink alcohol.
These restrictions are for life.
Not to be used for food:
- fat;
- spicy;
- spicy.
You can try drinking infusions brewed with the following herbs:
- rhodiola;
- Highlander;
- air;
- chaga;
- horsetail;
- nettle.
