Renal cancer occurs when malignant cancer cells are formed in the tubules of the kidney, whose main function is to filter waste and toxins from the body. It is a very serious condition and can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated at an early stage. The treatment options for renal cancer largely depend on what stage the cancer is in. There are five main treatment options for this type of cancer:

Surgery
Doctors may recommend surgery to remove a part of or the entire kidney in order to treat renal cancer. The doctors may prescribe any of the following surgeries:

• Simple nephrectomy : This surgery is done to remove the kidney.
• Partial nephrectomy : In this procedure, only the part of the kidney with the cancerous tumor and the tissues surrounding it are removed surgically.
• Radical nephrectomy : In this procedure, the adrenal gland, nearby lymph nodes as well as the surrounding tissue are removed, along with the kidney itself.

In case cancer has spread to both the kidneys and both need to be surgically removed, the patient will require dialysis at regular intervals and a kidney transplant eventually. Post-surgery, patients may have to undergo radiotherapy or chemotherapy to kill any remaining cancer cells and prevent the recurrence of renal cancer.

Arterial embolization
If the patient cannot undergo surgery, a procedure called arterial embolization may be recommended to shrink the tumor. This procedure involves inserting a catheter through a small incision into the blood vessel that flows into the kidney. Small pieces of gelatin sponge are injected through the catheter, which help in blocking the blood flow to the cancer cells present in the kidneys. The lack of oxygen prevents the growth of the cancer cells and their subsequent multiplication.

Radiation therapy
This form of treatment for renal cancer utilizes radiation or X-rays that are high in energy to kill cancer cells and prevent their growth and multiplication. External radiation therapy involves using a machine outside the body to send radiation to the cancerous tumor. Radiation therapy may either be used as a sole treatment to treat renal cancer or as an after-surgery method to reduce the chances of recurrence as well as to relieve the symptoms.

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy involves using drugs to kill cancer cells or prevent them from multiplying. There are two types of chemotherapy:

• Systemic chemotherapy : Systemic chemotherapy is when the drugs are administered by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle and reach the cancer cells through the bloodstream.
• Regional chemotherapy : This type of chemotherapy is when the therapy is directly placed in the organ, abdomen, or the cerebrospinal fluid, and the drugs affect the cancer cells in those specific areas.

Biologic therapy
This form of treatment makes use of the patient’s immune system itself to fight renal cancer by boosting the body’s ability to fight the disease.