Kidney Cancer Survival Rates

By Neal Kennedy

The kidney cancer survival rate is calculated from a number of factors that relate to both the characteristics of the disease itself, and also to the patient who has the disease.

In gathering their survival rate statistics, researchers take the type of cancer, stage, grade and location into consideration. There are also influential variables that are specific to each patient, including age, general health, and individual response to treatment.

By crunching numbers from such data in recent years, researchers have come up with some generally reliable statistics. Just one type of kidney cancer is shown below, but it is far more common than any other variety. It is known as renal cell carcinoma.

Kidney cancer survival rates are generally shown as the percentage of patients with the same kind of cancer at the same stage who are still alive after a certain period of time.

Naturally, the kidney cancer survival rate is a broad-based generalization calculated from a huge number of cases. No one can accurately predict how long a patient will live after being diagnosed, regardless of what stage the cancer has reached.

In the case of cancer of the kidney and most other diseases, the survival rate is measured in intervals of 5 years. In other words, a certain percentage of patients found to have renal cell carcinoma will survive for a minimum of five years after their diagnosis.

There are a variety of categories that can be listed for kidney cancer survival rates. The statistics below measure the survival rate of individuals who have been diagnosed with cancer of the kidneys versus the general population. Data was taken from a research study done in 1995-2001.

During this interval, the overall survival rate for renal cancer patients was 64.6 percent.

By gender and race, the study also found the following.

* 64.7 percent of Caucasian males survived for at least 5 years

* Almost exactly the same percentage of Caucasian women survived five years or more - 64.5

* The percentage for African-American men was somewhat lower at 61.8 percent

* African-American women had the best percentage of all at 65.9 percent

Knowing the stage of the disease is also important. The stage is the measure of how far the cancer has progressed and whether or not it has spread to other tissues or organs in the body.

Approximately 53 percent of cases are found before cancer cells have spread beyond the kidneys.

20 percent of cases are diagnosed during the stage in which cancer cells have reached nearby lymph nodes or tissues close to the kidneys.

22 percent of diagnoses are made when cancer has reached other tissues and organs beyond the kidneys.

Stages were unclear in the rest of the kidney cancer cases that were included in the study.

Naturally, data showed that cases diagnosed in the early stages resulted in the highest survival rates.

* 90 percent of patients who were diagnosed when the cancer was restricted to the kidneys reached the five year mark.

* The survival rate dropped to 60 percent for those whose cancer had spread to regions near the kidneys.

* The survival rate was just under 10 percent for those patients whose cancer had already spread to distant organs or parts of the body.

* Information on stages was unclear, unknown or undiagnosed for the rest of the patients in the study.

The National Cancer Institute reports that kidney cancer occurs in Northern Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States most often. Kidney cancer occurs least often in China, Thailand and the Philippines. It accounts for approximately three percent of all cancers diagnosed in the U.S.

Smokers have a higher risk of getting cancer of the kidney by approximately double. The risk is even greater for smokers with renal pelvis cancer, with four times as many getting the disease as non-smokers.

Related topic: kidney cancer survival rate data [http://www.kidney-problem.org/kidney-cancer-survival-rate.html]. Neal Kennedy is a former radio and TV reporter. To read more of his articles, click on coping with kidney problems [http://www.kidney-problem.org].

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What Are The Stages Of Kidney Cancer?

By Neal Kennedy

Kidney cancer stage designations give your physician a way of describing how far the disease has progressed. By knowing the stage, the doctor can begin to formulate a treatment plan.

The greatest value of assigning a stage is that it lets the doctor - and the patient - know how serious the disease has become and how far cancer cells have spread. The doctor needs to know whether cancer cells are confined to the kidneys, or have they spread to the adjacent adrenal glands, lymph nodes, or even to distant organs and tissues in the body. With this in mind, you can understand why knowing the stage is necessary for making a prognosis and designing a treatment regimen.

Doctors consider a range of factors in determining what stage renal ("renal" is a medical term for kidney) cancer has reached. After all tests and diagnostic tools have been examined, a stage will be assigned. Typically the numbers range from 1 to 4. Some medical professionals prefer to use Roman numbers (I through IV).

Knowing the stage can also give patients a reasonably reliable way to guess survival rates (which are usually based on 5-year intervals). There's no guarantee, of course, that someone whose cancer has been caught early will survive longer than someone diagnosed at a later stage. But obviously, someone with early stage kidney cancer has a better chance at longevity than someone who is diagnosed with a later stage.

The following offers basic descriptions of each stage.

Stage 1 - All cancer cells appear to be concentrated within a kidney and have not spread to adjacent glands, tissues or organs. The cancerous area is no bigger than 2.8 inches across (about 7 centimeters).

Stage 2 - At this stage, the cancer is still located only in the kidney, but it has grown larger than 2.8 inches.

Stage 3 - Kidney cancer is more complicated to treat at Stage 3 because it has spread to the adjacent adrenal gland or a major vein near the kidney. It may also be found in no more than one lymph node.

Stage 4 - At Stage 4, kidney cancer has reached a very dangerous point. The cancer has metastacized, meaning it has spread to other parts of the body and is affecting other tissues or possibly a distant organ. It can now also be found in more than one lymph node.

In addition to assigning a stage to kidney cancer, doctors may also designate a "grade." This is a further tool in defining the potential danger. The grade describes how cancer cells look when examined under a microscope.

If there's not much difference in appearance between the cancer cells and normal cells, a low grade will be designated. However, when there's a big difference in appearance between normal cells and abnormal cells, a higher grade will be designated. Grade determinations are an indicator of how aggressive the cancer is and how fast it is probably going to spread. Cancers that receive a higher grade typically spread more quickly, and are therefore more dangerous.

Summarizing, they greatest value in knowing the stage kidney cancer has reached is in giving the patient a prognosis and evaluating treatment options.

Kidney cancer occurs most often in adults who have reached 50 years of age, and it occurs twice as often to men as it does to women. Kidney cancer accounts for approximately 12,000 deaths every year in the United States, according to statistics released by the American Cancer Society. 30,000 new cases are diagnosed annually.

Hopefully, as research toward finding a cure goes forward, these numbers will come down. In the meantime, knowing the stage kidney cancer has reached in individual cases will be a valuable diagnostic tool in helping doctors save as many lives as possible.

Related topics: kidney cancer staging [http://www.kidney-problem.org/kidney-cancer-stage.html] and kidney cancer facts. Neal Kennedy is a former TV and radio journalist. To read more of his articles, click on kidney diseases [http://www.kidney-problem.org].

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Step by step instructions to Detect, Control and Treat Kidney Stones in Women

Kidney stones in ladies can be excruciating and it can happen with nearly nothing, or no, cautioning. This condition is one that is seen all the more much of the time in the male populace yet ladies are surely not safe to building up an issue with kidney stones.

The way that kidney stones are extremely little doesn't imply that they ought not be paid attention to. These little crystalline structures can make the most grounded man or lady fold to the floor in light of the fact that the torment can be that extreme and extraordinary.

There are regularly happening salts and minerals that are found in an individual's pee. These mixes for the most part are simply separated through the kidneys and flushed out of the body through the urinary tract. Once in a while these salts and mineral items are changed into strong masses of precious stones while the pee is being sifted inside the renal framework.

On the off chance that these crystalline particles remain infinitesimally little they can in any case travel through the small containers of the kidneys and you may not understand that they were there. In different examples the gems structure bigger particles and as these travel through your kidneys and urinary tract you will feel torment.

These solidified stones are regularly about the size of a grain of sand, however they can be as enormous as a sand spike. A portion of the stones in ladies and men are smooth to the touch while others can create spiky focuses that make them intensely agonizing.

Kidney stones in ladies may not be an extremely basic condition however any individual who has experienced this kind of issue will disclose to you that the agony equals that of labor. When these stones have gone through the urinary tract or have been medicinally expelled the alleviation is quick. At the point when you really observe one of these stones, or grasp it, it nearly appears to be unfathomable that such a small minimal stone could make the kind of agony that can drive an individual to their knees.

Understanding the potential difficulties of kidney stones in ladies is significant. This condition ought to be tended to as quickly as time permits with the goal that you can constrain your torment and keep away from such issues as kidney diseases and perpetual kidney harm.

There are a few situations where ladies and men will attempt to "intense it out". In a portion of these occurrences the stones are too enormous to even think about passing through the kidneys and urinary framework. In the event that these stones are not treated quickly an individual could wind up with serious bladder and kidney issues. It is greatly improved to look for therapeutic assistance when the plausibility of kidney stones initially emerges.

One of the first indications of kidney stones in quite a while is delicacy in the lower back and stomach area. Abrupt exceptional agony in your side, back, crotch or genital territory is another sign that kidney stones might be available. Squeezing torment in the midriff or on the left half of the body may likewise be available. This sort of torment is alluded to as "renal colic" and it happens when the ureter is contracting with an end goal to push a stone into the bladder.

Now and then there will be a limited quantity of blood in the pee. This is the aftereffect of harm to the inward coating of the ureter.

Kidney stones in ladies can likewise make agonizing pee, urinary recurrence, fever, heaving, queasiness, cold sweats and loss of hunger. Any blend of these manifestations could be available in the event that somebody is managing kidney stones.

On the off chance that you are 40-65, have a background marked by bladder diseases, don't drink satisfactory measures of water every day, have kidney issues or devour a great deal of liquor you are viewed as in danger for creating kidney stones. Individuals who have certain metabolic conditions, use diuretics and stomach settling agents as often as possible or have extreme degrees of Vitamins C and D are additionally in the high hazard classification.

A machine known as a lithotripter can be utilized to treat it. This is an outpatient system that doesn't expect you to remain in the emergency clinic. The machine utilizes stun waves to beat the kidney stones into minuscule particles that can be flushed out in your pee.

Medical procedure is just utilized if all else fails for stones that can't be expelled with different methods. Fortunately most instances of kidney stones in ladies react well to less obtrusive treatment choices.

visit: www.kidneyfreeguide.blogspot.com for more information on How to Detect, Control and Treat Kidney Stones in Women.

Natural Remedies For Cats With Kidney Disease

Kidney disease in cats is a common problem. It can be due to a number of factors such as accident, shock, old age or bacterial and viral infections. Natural remedies for cats with kidney disease can treat the condition and will improve the quality of your cat's life.

Diet

Feed your cat a special kidney diet. Feed a protein rich diet of human-quality raw meat plus small quantities of a variety of herbs, fruit, grain and vegetables. A raw meat diet keeps blood urea nitrogen levels low, a protein waste product excreted through the kidneys. Heat-treated animal protein, as found in commercial foods, is more difficult to digest and creates more waste which the kidneys must deal with. Such a diet is more stressful to the kidneys and results in higher toxicity in the blood if the kidneys are not working properly. Raw protein, in comparison, digests more completely with less waste.

Change the diet gradually and be patient and persistent, especially if your cat is not used to eating raw meat. Feed small meals but often, to ease the burden on the kidneys. A tiny bit of salt can be added to the morning meal to replace the salt loss brought about by the imbalance of the kidney function.

If you cat suffers from kidney failure, you need to monitor the acid content of the food carefully. Honey is the most suitable of sugars that can be dealt with by the kidneys, but do not give more than half a teaspoon per day. Dilute the honey in spring water and add 1/3 of a teaspoonful of apple cider vinegar.

Herbal remedies

The best way to administer natural kidney remedies is to prepare a tisane (herbal tea). Useful herbs include parsley, shepherd's purse, golden rod, cleavers, yellow deadnettle, yarrow, horsetail, marigold and stinging nettle. To make a tisane use one teaspoon of the required herbs and pour 150ml of boiling water over the them. Leave to infuse for one minute. For all kidney disorders give four dropperfuls, four times a day.

Parsley has a cleansing and toning effect on the system, so offer your cat fresh chopped parsley. If she does not accept it, prepare a parsley tisane. The parsley tisane is so beneficial that it should be given in addition to all other treatments.

If there is blood in the urine, give a tisane of shepherd's purse and golden rod. If your cat suffers from hardening of the kidneys, make a tisane of golden rod, cleavers, yellow deadnettle and yarrow. Per litre of the solution add half a teaspoon of Swedish bitters. For gravel in the kidney make barley water and give one dropperful before each meal. For kidney failure due to accident or shock give a golden rod, horsetail, yellow deadnettle and St John's wort tisane.

Many forms of chronic kidney failure are the end result of infections or toxins damaging the kidneys. However, the typical form of chronic kidney failure is the result of aging. Chronic kidney disorder can be treated with a horsetail and yellow deadnettle tisane. This will help older cats with a sluggish liver. For acute kidney disease due to bacterial, viral infection use a horsetail, marigold, stinging nettle and cleavers tisane. This recipe will also benefit cats with kidney failure due to serious injury or major surgery.

The most important thing for a cat with kidney failure is to maintain adequate hydration. Offer lots of fresh water. If your cat isn't a great water drinker, pour liquid over its food. The aim of this is to promote diuresis, i.e. flushing the body with fluids to create more urine and help eliminate the build up of waste products.

These natural remedies for cats with kidney disease are proven to be effective. They are safe and will improve kidney functioning.

Monika Ruthe is a complementary therapist and has created an online information resource on natural and home remedies for cats. To discover the best   natural remedies for cats for a variety of common ailments and learn how to use them visit http://www.homeremediesforcats.com

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