ABOUT Kidney Cancer Ablation - Maximed Turkey
Kidney Cancer Ablation
A procedure is sometimes available to help treat kidney
cancer. Kidney cancer is a disease in which malignant, uncontrolled growth of
cells within the kidney tissue destroys normal cells and tissues around it.
This may lead to serious complications, including the
need for dialysis or a life-threatening condition called acute renal failure.
There are two main treatment options for kidney cancer:
surgical removal of the tumor and chemotherapy with targeted agents such as
taxanes (paclitaxel, docetaxel) and vinca alkaloids (vincristine).
However, these treatments typically only result in
temporary palliation; more than 90% of patients ultimately die from this
disease.
Recently, the use of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has
grown in popularity. This is a minimally invasive procedure that is usually
performed while an individual is under anesthesia, and it involves the
insertion of a catheter into the renal artery and the creation of an electrical
field around it.
A catheter especially designed to deliver electricity
is then threaded into the kidney and connected to the electrode at the end of
the catheter. The electricity heats tissue within the kidney causing it to die
off or "cookout."
The procedure can be used either on its own or in combination
with chemotherapy for patients with localized stage II cancers, both kidney and
bladder cancers. It is also an effective treatment option for patients who do
not tolerate or respond well to chemotherapy.
The procedure has the advantage of being relatively
inexpensive, and it does not require radioactive agents such as procarbazine
and fluorouracil. As such, it can be performed just as readily in developing
countries as in the US and Europe.
Treatment with RFA is typically performed on an
outpatient basis. On average, 33% of patients who undergo this procedure will
experience no complications at all; a significant number of those will also
experience complete resolution of the tumor within a year or two after
treatment ends. "In a study of 365 patients, 73% had a complete
disappearance of the tumor," according to a paper in "The New England
Journal of Medicine."
It is not possible to predict who will experience the
more favorable results using this procedure, but some factors are associated
with better outcomes. For example, "patients with larger tumors and those
whose tumors had spread to other organs were more likely to have complete
regression," according to a 2004 article in "The New England Journal
of Medicine.
A 2005 study in "The New England Journal of
Medicine" evaluated the safety and efficacy of RFA for this indication.
There are some important limitations to note before beginning the following
discussion.
First, the condition of patients included in this study
was fairly limited. It excluded all patients with locally advanced or
metastasis-free recurrences after local ablation, any patient with renal
metastasis, and any patient who was not on dialysis at the time of ablation.
Another limitation is that the treatment ablation is
performed by an expert, which does not necessarily represent best practice, and
it is performed in a single institution.
The study authors state that the purpose of their work
was to better understand what "median survival" can be expected, and
there may be significant variability between individuals.
In this study, kidney cancer lesions were graded
according to a modified version of the TNM classification system used by
oncologists to categorize cancers.
In addition to grading them according to their TNM
stage, each lesion was also graded according to its size, which was indicated
by where on the kidney it was located and how extensive it was.
Frequently Asked Questions on Kidney Cancer Ablation
What is a Nephrectomy?
This is the removal of the kidney itself. In some
cases, this may be done to prevent future problems with kidney functionality.
In other cases, removing a nonworking kidney will help the remaining kidney to
work more effectively.
In some cases, however, a nephrectomy may be necessary
to remove a tumor or cancerous tissue that is causing pain or illness within
the kidney.
What Are The Risks Of This Surgery?
There are several risks associated with a nephrectomy
procedure. First and foremost, individuals who undergo this type of procedure
may become permanently unable to urinate if their ureters are also removed
during surgery.
Another potential risk is a dangerous level of blood
loss during surgery, which can sometimes be very high, and a third risk is a
high chance of bleeding. Finally, there is a significant chance that the kidney
itself will be damaged or otherwise affected by the cancerous tumor or cancerous
tissue removed during surgery.
What Are The Benefits Of This Procedure?
The most important benefit of this procedure is that it
may help to improve the overall quality of life for patients who have been
diagnosed with kidney cancer. In some cases, those who have been diagnosed with
this type of cancer may have associated complications caused by the disease.
Once these problems have been treated, many patients experience an improvement
in their ability to live a normal life again.
