Preserving Your Body’s Filter
Your kidneys help keep you healthy by removing waste and extra water from your blood. Cancer can impair kidney function, so it’s vital to make sure these organs are working efficiently. About 64,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with kidney cancer each year, according to the American Cancer Society. There are three main types:Renal cell carcinoma
This type of kidney cancer forms in the lining of very small tubes in the kidney that filter blood and remove waste.
Renal pelvis carcinoma
This version of kidney cancer forms in the center of the kidney where urine collects.
Wilms tumor
As the most common kidney cancer in children, this type of kidney cancer is treated differently than adult kidney cancer.
The Penn Medicine | Virtua Cancer Program offers a range of diagnostic procedures, advanced treatment options and personalized support services for those with kidney cancer. Patients receive individualized treatment plans based on the stage of the cancer, as well as the person’s age and other health factors.
Treating kidney cancer requires a team of specialists because the care often includes surgery and other therapies, as well as nursing care and physical and emotional support.
The Penn Medicine | Virtua Cancer Program provides these services and more in a coordinated and supportive environment. Surgery is the most common treatment for kidney cancer.
Other treatments include biologic therapy (also known as immunotherapy), chemotherapy and cryoablation, a surgical technique that uses argon gas to deep freeze and destroy abnormal tissue.
For more information about Virtua’s kidney cancer services,
call 1-888-VIRTUA-3 (1-888-847-8823).
