Where are the Kidneys Located?
People normally have 2 kidneys which are located below the ribcage at the level of the 2nd and 3rd lumbar vertebrae, in the "small of the back" region. The fight kidney is usually a little lower than the left one, since the right one is pushed down by the liver. The kidneys are "bean shaped" (hence "kidney bean") and the urine produced by each kidney is collected in a hollow area within the kidney called the "renal pelvis". From the renal pelvis, the urine drains through the "ureters" which are tubes vach conduct the urine into the bladder. These structures are called the "collecting system" of the kidney. Each kidney is fed blood by a "renal artery"' and drained off by a "renal vein". The renal arteries come off the the "aorta", which arises from the heart and supplies the whole lower body with blood. The renal veins drain into Inferior vena cava, which then returns the blood to the heart.
There are small glands on the top of each kidney called the "adrenal gland". Each kidney and adrenal gland is surrounded by fat, called the "perinephric fat". The fat is then surrounded by a tough fibrous membrane, called "Gerotals Facia". This is important since the behavior of kidney cancers can often be gauged by whether they have invaded the perinephric fat or Gerota's Facia. Furthermore, like all major organs the kidneys have surrounding "lymph nodes", which are small bean-sized glands that filter the blood as part of the immune system. The outcome of kidney cancer also depends on whether these lymph nodes have been invaded by the disease, as will be seen.
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What is Kidney Cancer?
Normally, in an adult kidney cells divide rarely, to replace those lost to old age and injury, The division and growth of these cells is under tight control by the genes inside the cells. Kidney cancer starts when control of this division is lost, and so a cell starts to divide "out of control". Kidney cancer starts in just one cell. A change occurs in the genes of this cell which screws up its controls that prevent haphazard division, and it starts dividing like crazy, forming a tumor. A tumor simply means a swelling and is not necessarily cancerous. When the cells in the tumor just grow in their local area, and do not spread elsewhere, then the tumor is benign. However, when the tumor's cells have the ability to spread elsewhere in the body, this is a malignant (cancerous) tumor. A malignant tumor can metastasize (spread) to any area of the body, cause symptoms there, and eventually kill the patient.
What Causes or Increases the Risk for Kidney Cancer?
Like any cancer, the exact reason why one person gets kidney cancer and another does not is unknown. However, several factors have been noted which increase the risk for getting it.
The kidney is the blood chemistry and urine producing organ necessary for life. It detoxifies the blood. Besides maintaining the body's water level, it regulates the blood pressure. You can see that the kidney is essential for the maintaining the bodies basic chemical functions. The kidneys are very resilient, but when they fail they can lead to rapid demise of the patient. It has been said, "as go the kidneys, so goes the patient."
It is critical to get proper diagnosis and treatment for a kidney cancer problem, this can literally make the difference between life and death. Understanding your options with kidney cancer will give you the peace of mind knowing that you have done everything possible for a successful outcome for yourself or a loved one.
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