The kidneys are a crucial part of the urinary system, responsible for filtering the blood and removing excess water and waste products to create urine. Unfortunately, kidney cancer can occur, though it typically only affects one kidney, with both kidneys being affected being a rarity.
Kidney cancer comes in various forms, but roughly 80% of cases are renal cell cancers (RCC), which originate in the cortex of the kidney. Although kidney cancer can also occur in the ureter and renal pelvis, this is relatively rare. Clear cell renal cancer is the most common form of RCC, but there are also less common types like papillary renal cell cancer and chromophobe renal cell cancer.
Another form of kidney cancer is urothelial cancer or transitional cell carcinoma, which occurs in the renal pelvis. Collecting duct cancer (CDC) is another rare form of kidney cancer, exhibiting features of both RCC and urothelial cancer.
In some cases, kidney cancer can spread to the lymph nodes located close to the kidney. The lymph nodes are a vital part of the lymphatic system, which helps safeguard us from infection and disease.