It can also be found in more than one member of a family, and studies increasingly seem to indicate chromosome 3 abnormalities. In general, however, the causes of kidney cancer are unknown. It must be noted however, that after symptoms are present, the chance of a cure for kidney cancer is decreased. However, more often today, physicians diagnose kidney cancer while testing for other conditions. For example, patients may have abdominal pain, back pain, or a gall bladder attack and a Ultrasound and CAT scan can detect kidney cancer before the appearance of clear symptoms.
Treatment depends on the stage of the cancer at presentation.
Most kidney cancers, about 70 percent, are confined to the kidney when they are first detected. Because of the kidney s location, surgery is the best form of treatment. Radiation therapy cannot reach the kidney because of the kidney s location, and it is not clear that kidney cancer is responsive to radiation therapy. Smaller tumors are surgically removed without removing the entire kidney. For larger tumors, physicians remove the entire kidney and lymph nodes.