This year 2023, the World kidney cancer day theme is we need to talk about living with kidney cancer, aiming to kidney cancer survivorship, which includes consumption of good nutrition, and coping with medical side effects.

This June 15 is observed as World Kidney Cancer Day to raise awareness about the disease. The kidneys are vital organs, flushing out toxins from the system. From functional point of view, kidneys extract waste products and water from the blood. These are emptied into the bladder through the ureters as urine. Kidneys are also important endocrine organs for water and salt metabolism, maintaining pH level of the blood.

According to Ayurveda diseases are due to stopping of urges, and urine is one of such urge so, long time holding of urine is responsible for vitiation of kidneys. 

Kidney cancer is the 13th most common cancer in the world. In adults, the most common type of kidney cancer is Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC). Young children are more likely to develop a kind of kidney cancer called Wilms’ tumour.

Kidney cancer usually does not have symptoms in early stages. It may go often even go unnoticed since there usually is no pain. Since kidneys are also located deeper within the body, it is also difficult to see or detect the tumours through physical examinations.

With time, signs and symptoms may begin to appear. Some of these include blood in your urine. It may appear pink, red or even black. It is important to note that the blood passage is painless; constant pain in the back or side that does not subside; unexplained weight loss; loss of appetite, and persistent fever and tiredness.

There is no conclusive answer for why kidney cancer occurs.  kidney cancer begins when kidney cells develop mutations in their DNA. The changes make the cells grow and divide rapidly. The accumulation of these abnormal cells forms a tumour. These can be benign or malignant. Benign tumours are usually not life-threatening and can be cured. While malignant tumour can then extend beyond even the kidney. The cells can break away and even spread to other parts of the body and can be life threatening.

Smokers are at a greater risk of kidney cancer compared to non-smokers. The risk goes down after one quits smoking. People who are obese also have a higher risk of developing kidney cancer when compared to people who have a healthy weight.

Having high blood pressure (hypertension) also increases the risk of developing kidney cancer. Recipients of long-term dialysis for treating chronic kidney failure are also at greater risk. Certain inherited syndromes may also result in an increased risk of kidney cancer, such as those who have Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome.

The risk of kidney cancer is also higher if close family members too have had the disease. Lastly, the risk of developing kidney cancer also increases with age.

There are many conditions that could affect the normal functioning of kidneys, kidney cancer and treatment requires special attention.  Cancer treatments cause nausea or gastrointestinal problems, eventually interfering with one’s ability to eat and process the food normally. In many cases, patients lose their appetite entirely, or get mouth sores that can make it difficult to eat anything. So some diet do’s and don’ts that needs to be followed.

Do’s

Eat healthy: 

Watch out for protein intake

Monitor the phosphorus

Limit your meal quantity during the day

Don’ts

Avoid drinking too much fluid.

Avoid too much salt consumption.

Do not assume all diseases come with the same diet recommendations.

Do not stop exercising.

Treatment:

For cancers that are limited to the kidney, surgery helps to remove the cancer and also this may be the only treatment required. But if the cancer has spread to other parts, then additional treatments may be needed. When cancer spreads beyond the kidney like to lungs, bones or elsewhere, the treatment would be targeted therapy or immunotherapy and Radiation therapy.