The kidneys are two bean shaped organs, each about the same size as a fist. They are near the middle of your back, one on either side of your spine. Inside the kidney tiny networks of tubes called nephrons filter the blood. As blood passes through the nephrons all unwanted waste is taken away. Chemicals that your body needs are kept or returned to the bloodstream. Our kidneys serve many purposes, but they mainly do the following:
1) Detoxify (clean) our blood
2) Balance fluids
3) Maintain electrolyte levels (e .g ., sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, acid)
4) Remove waste (as urine)
5) Make hormones that help keep our blood pressure stable, make red blood cells and keep our bones strong

Kidney cancer also called renal cancer is a disease in which kidney cells become malignant (cancerous) and grow out of control, forming a tumor. Almost all kidney cancers first appear in the lining of tiny tubes (tubules) in the kidney. This type of kidney cancer is called renal cell carcinoma. The good news is that most kidney cancers are found before they spread (metastasize) to distant organs. And cancers caught early are easier to treat successfully. However, these tumors can grow to be quite large before they are detected..

Most kidney masses have no symptoms in the early stages. If there are symptoms, they will most likely be:
1) Hematuria (blood in urine)
2) Flank pain between the ribs and hips
3) Low back pain on one side (not caused by injury) that does not go away
4) Loss of appetite
5) Weight loss not caused by dieting
6) Fever that is not caused by an infection and does not go away
7) Anemia (low red blood cell count)

Doctors don't know the causes of kidney cancer. But certain factors appear to increase the risk of getting kidney cancer. For example, kidney cancer occurs most often in people older than age 40. These are some other risk factors for kidney cancer: 1) Smoking. If you smoke cigarettes, your risk for kidney cancer is twice that of nonsmokers. Smoking cigars may also increase your risk.
2) Being male. Men are about twice as likely as women to get kidney cancer.
3) Being obese. Extra weight may cause changes to hormones that increase your risk.
4) Using certain pain medications for a long time. This includes over-the-counter drugs in addition to prescription drugs.
5) Having advanced kidney disease or being on long-term dialysis, a treatment for people with kidneys that have stopped working
6) Having certain genetic conditions, such as von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease or inherited papillary renal cell carcinoma
7) Having a family history of kidney cancer. The risk is especially high in siblings.
8) Being exposed to certain chemicals, such as asbestos, cadmium, benzene, organic solvents, or certain herbicides
9) Having high blood pressure. Doctors don't know whether high blood pressure or medication used to treat it is the source of the increased risk.
10) Being black. The risk in blacks is slightly higher than in whites. No one knows why.
11) Having lymphoma. For an unknown reason, there is an increased risk of kidney cancer in patients with lymphoma.
Having these risk factors does not mean you will get kidney cancer. And it's also true that you can have none of them and still get the disease.

Renal cell cancer is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults. It is also called renal cell adenocarcinoma. More than 80% of kidney cancers are renal cell cancers. In renal cell cancer, the cancerous cells start in the lining of the tubules (the smallest tubes inside the nephrons). Tubules help filter the blood and make urine. The main types of renal cell cancer:
1) clear cell - around 75% renal cell cancers (75%)
2) papillary - around 15%renal cell cancers (15%)
3) chromophobe renal cell cancer - around 5% renal cell cancers (5%)

Rare types of renal cell cancer include carcinoma of the collecting ducts and renal medullary carcinoma. Sometimes kidney cancers can contain more than one cell type. Another rare type is sarcomatoid. This means the kidney cancer cells look like sarcoma cells under the microscope. Sarcoma is cancer of connective tissue (such as muscles, nerves, fat, blood vessels, and fibrous tissues). Kidney cancer that is sarcomatoid type might have a different outlook to other types of kidney cancer.

Grade means how much the cancer cells look like normal cells. A specialist (pathologist) looks at the cells under a microscope. The pathologist will look at the centre of the cell (nucleus) and the size and shape of the cells. The more the cancer cells look like normal cells, the lower the grade. They tend to grow more slowly and are less likely to spread to another part of the body (metastasise).The less the cancer cells look like normal cells, the higher the grade. They tend to grow more quickly and are more likely to spread to another part of the body. Kidney cancers are graded 1-4. This is called the Fuhrman system. Grade 1 is the lowest grade, and grade 4 is the highest grade.

Your prognosis depends on your general health, as well as the grade and stage of your kidney cancer. These are the stages of kidney cancer. The higher the stage, the more advanced the cancer.
1) Stage I
A tumor 7 centimeters or smaller that is only in the kidney
2) Stage II A tumor larger than 7 centimeters that is only in the kidney
3) Stage III
- A tumor that is in the kidney and in at least one nearby lymph node
- A tumor that is in the kidney's main blood vessel and may also be in nearby lymph node
- A tumor that is in the fatty tissue around the kidney and may also involve nearby lymph nodes
- A tumor that extends into major veins or perinephric tissues, but not into the ipsilateral adrenal gland and not beyond Gerota's fascia
4) Stage IV
- Cancer has spread beyond the fatty layer of tissue around the kidney, and it may also be in nearby lymph nodes
- Cancer may have spread to other organs, such as the bowel, pancreas, or lungs
- Cancer has spread beyond Gerota's fascia (including contiguous extension into the ipsilateral adrenal gland)

If you have symptoms, your doctor will perform a complete medical history and physical exam. The doctor also may order certain tests that can help in diagnosing and assessing cancer. These tests can include:
1) Urine tests:
A sample of urine is tested to see if it contains blood. Even very small traces of blood, invisible to the naked eye, can be detected in tests of urine samples.
2) Blood tests:
These tests are done to count the number of each of the different kinds of blood cells, as well as look at different electrolytes in your body. A blood test can show if there are too few red blood cells (anemia), or if your kidney function is impaired (by looking at the creatinine).
3) Computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan:
This is a special X-ray that uses a computer to create a series of images, or slices, of the inside of the body. This test is often done with intravenous contrast (dye). Patients with impaired kidney function may not be able to receive the dye.
4) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI):
This is a test that produces images of the inside of the body using a large magnet, radio waves, and a computer.
5) Ultrasound:
This test uses high-frequency sound waves that are transmitted through body tissues to create images that are displayed on a monitor. This test is helpful in detecting tumors, which have a different density than healthy tissues.
6) Renal mass biopsy:
During this procedure, a thin needle is inserted into the tumor, and a small sample of the tissue is removed (biopsy). The doctor will look at the tissue under a microscope to see if there are any cancer cells. Because biopsies for kidney cancer are not always completely reliable, your physician may or may not recommend this test.

There are several standard types of treatment for kidney cancer. In most cases, surgery is the first step. Even if surgery removes the entire tumor, though, your doctor may suggest an extra treatment to kill any remaining cancer cells that can't be seen:
1) Surgery for kidney cancer
These are the main types of surgery for kidney cancer. Which type you have depends on how advanced your cancer is:
a) Radical nephrectomy removes the kidney, adrenal gland, and surrounding tissue. It also often removes nearby lymph nodes. It is the most common surgery for kidney cancer and can now be done through a small incision with a laparoscope.
b) Simple nephrectomy removes the kidney only.
c) Partial nephrectomy removes the cancer in the kidney along with some tissue around it. This procedure is used for patients with smaller tumors (less than 4 cm) or in those patients in which a radical nephrectomy might hurt the other kidney.
2) Cryotherapyuses extreme cold to kill the tumor.
3) Radiofrequency ablation uses high-energy radio waves to "cook and kill" the tumor.
4) Arterial embolization involves inserting material into an artery that leads to the kidney. This blocks blood flow to the tumor. This procedure may be done to help shrink the tumor before surgery.

5-year relative survival rates for kidney cancer
1) Localized: 93% There is no sign that the cancer has spread outside of the kidney.
2) Regional: 70% The cancer has spread outside the kidney to nearby structures or lymph nodes.
3) Distant: 13% Includes cancers that have spread to distant parts of the body such as the lungs, brain, or bones.

Cancer is a life threatening disease that can affect anyone regardless of race, age, and gender. Traditional cancer treatments like radiotherapy and chemotherapy often result in undesirable and uncomfortable side effects such as vomiting, numbness, nausea, and diarrhea to name a few. Herbal medicine is a complementary therapy that some people with cancer use to ease cancer symptoms. Herbal remedies for cancer such as those commonly found in traditional medicine contains antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, and apoptosis inducing compounds that help in slowing the development of cancer and relieve treatment side effects for patients.

Herbal medicine has a wide variety of applications but all of them rely on the sustainable use of various plant parts such as flowers, leaves, bark, and roots. Each part of a plant features different medicinal properties and uses. Although herbal medicine has countless use cases, cancer care is one of the most practical applications because of how harsh traditional oncology treatments can be on patients.

Herbal remedies are a part of a growing field of medicine called integrative oncology. Research conducted on the use of herbal medicine for cancer complementary therapy has proven herbs can:
• Slows the spread of cancer
• Reduces the side effects of cancer treatment
• Boosts immune system strength and functionality
• Minimizes the symptoms of cancer
• Attacks cancer cells

Several herbs may help control the side effects of conventional cancer treatment. However, doctors do not recommend that cancer patients take herbal medicine while undergoing normal traditional cancer treatment. Herbal medicines may be likely less to cause side effects than traditional drugs. But patients may can still experience complications. Some herbs may can cause negative interactions with chemotherapy drugs. Closely monitor how you feel before and after taking herbal remedies. Patients should always consult with their doctor before trying herbs as a complementary therapy or the supplements to avoid complications.