URINARY Neoplastic Flashcards
Renal Cell Carcinoma
Renal cell cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in tubules of the kidney. Renal cell cancer (also called kidney cancer or renal cell adenocarcinoma) is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells are found in the lining of tubules (very small tubes) in the kidney.
SYMPTOMS: Blood in the urine.
A lump in the abdomen.
A pain in the side that doesn’t go away.
Loss of appetite.
Weight loss for no known reason.
Anemia.
CAUSE: Smoking and misuse of certain pain medicines can affect the risk of renal cell cancer. Signs of renal cell cancer include blood in the urine and a lump in the abdomen.
Urinary Tract Cancer (Bladder Cancer)
Bladder cancer is a common type of cancer that begins in the cells of the bladder. The bladder is a hollow muscular organ in your lower abdomen that stores urine.
Bladder cancer most often begins in the cells (urothelial cells) that line the inside of your bladder. Urothelial cells are also found in your kidneys and the tubes (ureters) that connect the kidneys to the bladder. Urothelial cancer can happen in the kidneys and ureters, too, but it’s much more common in the bladder.
Most bladder cancers are diagnosed at an early stage, when the cancer is highly treatable. But even early-stage bladder cancers can come back after successful treatment. For this reason, people with bladder cancer typically need follow-up tests for years after treatment to look for bladder cancer that recurs.
Tumors of the renal calyces, renal pelvis and ureters start in the layer of tissue that lines the bladder and the upper urinary tract, called the urothelium. Cancer that starts in the urothelium is called urothelial (or transitional cell) cancer. This is the most common type of cancer found in the bladder, as well.
SYMPTOMS:
Blood in urine (hematuria), which may cause urine to appear bright red or cola colored, though sometimes the urine appears normal and blood is detected on a lab test
Frequent urination
Painful urination
Back pain
CAUSE: Bladder cancer begins when cells in the bladder develop changes (mutations) in their DNA. A cell’s DNA contains instructions that tell the cell what to do. The changes tell the cell to multiply rapidly and to go on living when healthy cells would die. The abnormal cells form a tumor that can invade and destroy normal body tissue. In time, the abnormal cells can break away and spread (metastasize) through the body.
Wilms’ Tumor
The most common type of kidney cancer in children. Wilms’ tumor is a rare kidney cancer that primarily affects children. Also known as nephroblastoma, it’s the most common cancer of the kidneys in children. Wilms’ tumor most often affects children ages 3 to 4 and becomes much less common after age 5.
SYMPTOMS: But most children with Wilms’ tumor experience one or more of these signs and symptoms: An abdominal mass you can feel. Abdominal swelling.
Other signs and symptoms may include:
Fever.
Blood in the urine.
Nausea or vomiting or both.
Constipation.
Loss of appetite.
Shortness of breath.
High blood pressure.
CAUSE: Most of the time, Wilms tumor is caused by a gene change (mutation). The gene change causes the kidney cells to develop into a tumor. Doctors don’t know why these gene changes happen. Wilms tumor usually happens in kids who are otherwise healthy.
