Staging of kidney cancer

Kidney cancer, also known as renal cell carcinoma or renal adenocarcinoma, originates from renal tubular epithelial cells and can occur in any part of the renal parenchyma, but is most common in the upper and lower parts, with a few invading the entire kidney; the left and right kidneys are equally susceptible to disease, with bilateral lesions accounting for 1% to 2%. So what are the specific symptoms of kidney cancer? What are its stages? Today we will give you a detailed introduction.

Symptoms of renal cancer The early symptoms of renal cancer are not obvious, and it is often not discovered until the tumor is very large. Patients may experience systemic symptoms such as fever, fatigue and weight loss. Low back pain, renal mass and hematuria are three typical symptoms with diagnostic significance, but the chance of all three occurring at the same time is very small, and the diagnosis is often in the late stage. Painless hematuria is the main symptom of renal cancer, which is often intermittent and may only manifest as microscopic hematuria in the early stage. Tumors can produce ectopic hormones and hormone-like substances, and patients may develop a variety of paraneoplastic syndromes, such as polycythemia, hypercalcemia, Cushing syndrome and hypertension. Renal cell carcinoma is characterized by widespread metastasis. About 10% of patients first experience symptoms caused by metastatic lesions. Metastasis most commonly occurs in the lungs and bones, but can also occur in local lymph nodes, liver, adrenal glands and brain.

The prognosis of renal cell carcinoma is poor, with a 5-year survival rate of about 45%, and up to 70% for those without metastasis. If the tumor invades the renal vein and perirenal tissue, the 5-year survival rate can drop to 15% to 20%.

Stages of Kidney Cancer

Stage I tumors are located within the renal capsule.

Stage II tumors invade the perinephric fat but remain confined to the perinephric fascia.

Stage III is divided into stages IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc:

Stage IIIa tumor invades the renal vein or inferior vena cava;

Stage IIIb: Regional lymph node involvement;

Stage IIIc also involves the renal vein, inferior vena cava, and lymph nodes.

Stage IV is divided into stage IVa and stage IVb:

Stage IVa tumors invade adjacent organs except the adrenal glands;

Stage IVb tumors have distant metastases.