Kidney Cancer

Renal cancer, or kidney cancer, is one of the most common cancers in the U.S. for both men and women. It usually develops in the tubules – the cells lining small tubes – in the kidney.

A cancer diagnosis of any kind is scary. Goshen Center for Cancer Care is here to relieve some of that fear. With leading-edge care that addresses your complete well-being, we treat kidney cancer. Trust our team of board certified, fellowship trained oncologists and other experts to tailor your treatment to your exact needs.

Kidney cancer symptoms and causes

It's likely you won't notice signs of kidney cancer until the tumor is large. The kidneys lie deep inside the body, making it difficult for doctors to feel the tumor. As symptoms develop, they may include:

• Fatigue
• Blood in the urine
• Anemia (low red blood cell count)
• Persistent fever
• Pressure or pain in the side, abdomen or lower back
• Lump in the side, abdomen or lower back
• Loss of appetite or unintended weight loss

Talk to your doctor about your symptoms. He or she can provide the correct diagnosis, as well as explain your risk factors. While what exactly causes kidney cancer is unknown, we do know that smokers are twice as likely as nonsmokers to develop kidney cancer.

Our treatment for renal cell carcinoma and other kidney cancers

When you come to Goshen Center for Cancer Care, our integrated team creates a treatment plan that maintains your highest possible quality of life. Our recommendations are based on the stage of your kidney cancer. Surgery is the main treatment, but other options include:

• Active surveillance (watchful waiting) if the tumor is small
• Immunotherapy to boost your immune system’s response to cancer
• Targeted therapy to fight markers that are only present on cancer cells

Chemotherapy and radiation therapy aren’t generally effective against kidney cancer, but you may need them if the cancer has spread to other areas of the body.

As the first comprehensive cancer center in northern Indiana, our facility is equipped to provide these kidney cancer treatments paired with naturopathic medicine and other integrative therapies.