KIDNEY CANCER
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Kidney cancer is a disease in which the cells in
certain tissues of the kidney start to grow uncontrollably and form
tumors. Renal cell carcinoma, which occurs in the cells lining the
kidneys (epithelial cells), is the most common type of kidney cancer.
Eighty-five percent of all kidney tumors are renal cell carcinomas.
Wilms' tumor is a rapidly developing cancer of the kidney most often
found in children under four years of age. |
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The kidneys are a pair of organs shaped like
kidney beans that lie on either side of the spine just above the
waist. Inside each kidney are tiny tubes (tubules) that filter and
clean the blood, taking out the waste products and making urine. The
urine that is made by the kidney passes through a tube called the
ureter into the bladder. Urine is held in the bladder until it is
discharged from the body. Renal cell carcinoma generally develops in
the lining of the tubules that filter and clean the blood. Cancer
that develops in the central portion of the kidney (where the urine
is collected and drained into the ureters) is known as transitional
cell cancer of the renal pelvis. Transitional cell cancer is similar
to bladder cancer.
Kidney cancer accounts for 3% of all cancers. According to the
American Cancer Society, approximately 30,000 new cases of kidney
cancer will be found in 1998. Kidney cancer occurs most often in men
over the age of 40. Men are twice as likely as women are to have
cancer of the kidney. |
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| KIDNEY CANCER RELATED ITEMS |
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