Another "Know your Cancer" Moment

As we told you last week, March is Colon Cancer Awareness month. But there is another type of cancer recognized this month that doesn't get as much attention - cancer of the kidneys. As with all types of cancer, it's important to know signs & symptoms and risk factors.

Unfortunately, kidney cancer does not have a lot of symptoms in early stages. In later stages, symptoms that might be experienced include:

• Blood in your urine, which may appear pink, red or cola colored
• Back pain just below the ribs that doesn't go away
• Weight loss
• Fatigue
• Intermittent fever

The back pain and fever can also be a sign of a simple kidney infection, which can be treated with antibiotics. But if that is the original diagnosis and your symptoms are not completely eradicated after treatment, don't waste any time letting your doctor know you suspect there is still something wrong and ask for further testing.

There are a number of risk factors associated with cancer of the kidneys. Several of them are also risk factors for many kinds of cancer - smoking, aging, heredity, and obesity. But there are others that are unique to this type of cancer:

• Being male. Men are more likely to develop kidney cancer.
• High blood pressure (hypertension). High blood pressure increases your risk of kidney cancer, but it isn't clear why.
• Chemicals in your workplace. Workers who are exposed to certain chemicals on the job may have a higher risk of kidney cancer. People who work with chemicals such as asbestos and cadmium may have an increased risk of kidney cancer.
• Treatment for kidney failure. People who receive long-term dialysis to treat chronic kidney failure have a greater risk of developing kidney cancer.
• Von Hippel-Lindau disease. People with this inherited disorder are likely to develop several kinds of tumors, including, in some cases, kidney cancer.
• Hereditary papillary renal cell carcinoma. Having this inherited condition makes it more likely you'll develop one or more kidney cancers. 

As always - know your risk factors, and be familiar with symptoms. Prevention and early detection are proven life-savers when dealing with any kind of cancer diagnosis.

For more information on kidney, colon and other types of cancer, you can visit the Mayo Clinic website. For more specific information on kidney cancer and downloadable materials check out the Kidney Cancer Association website.