Treatments for Kidney Cancer According to Stage
Doctors use the TNM staging system to determine the stages and treatment for kidney cancer as with most cases of the condition, the method used to treat it depends on the extent to which cancer has spread. They do this by scanning and observing the Tumor (T), Node (N) and Metastasis (M) of this condition. There are 5 stages involved in kidney cancer, stage 0 and stages I to IV. Given below is further information on the stages of kidney cancer and treatment methods used for it. Stage I kidney cancer In Stage I, the reading is (T1, N0, M0), which means the tumor is 7cm or 4cm to 7cm and is only located in the kidney. It hasn’t spread to lymph nodes or other organs. Treatment of stage I renal cell cancer may include the following methods: Surgery (radical nephrectomy, simple nephrectomy, or partial nephrectomy) Radiation therapy as palliative therapy to relieve the symptoms of patients who are unable to have surgery Arterial embolization as palliative therapy Stage II kidney cancer In Stage II, the reading is (T2, N0, M0), which means the tumor is larger than 7cm and is located in the kidney. At this level, it hasn’t spread to lymph nodes or other organs in this stage.