Kidney Cancer

Kidney Cancer

Why has kidney cancer become so common? Statistics have shown that one in every four people will develop kidney cancer in their lifetime. With that many people developing kidney cancer at some point in time, it is quite puzzling as to why a permanent cure has yet to be found. Kidney cancer is the tenth most common cancer and has been increased by 43% since 1973. The death rate has also increased by 16%." According to the American Cancer Society, 35,710 Americans were diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2004, and 12,480 died from the disease." (Carson-DeWitt, Rosalyn, and Rebecca Frey. "Kidney cancer." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed. Laurie J. Fundukian. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Science in Context. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.)

My knowledge on kidney cancer is probably greater than most individuals. This would be due to over Christmas break this year my father was diagnosed with renal cancer (also known as kidney cancer). This was one of the hardest situations my family has ever had to face, but luckily we received better news from the doctor than we had expected. His cancer was contained in his right kidney and was located no where else in his body. After having his kidney surgically removed and finding out that in his situation, the cancer was slow growing and non-aggressive, things have really been looking up, but not everybody always gets good news like that back. Cancer is a nasty disease and it takes many loved ones away from their families. One positive thing is that you have two kidneys, so if needed, you can live off of only having one if only one kidney happened to be affected. Kidneys are important to the body, they are what make urine and get rid of the waste in your body before it travels to your bladder. ...

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...of the risk factors that are believed to cause this type of cancer. Cancer is a tricky disease, which is probably why doctors and scientists are still trying to find a cure for it but with so many different strands of cancer and their different levels of aggression, it is a hard thing to wrap an answer around. However they have come up with several treatments that are much more effective than they have been in the past. These treatments are made to help eliminate the cancer cells and to also prevent recurrent cancerous cells. After researching more on kidney cancer, I’ve come to believe that in most cases, but not all, maintaining a healthy lifestyle will help to lower your risk of developing this nasty disease. With new technology and having knowledge about the cause and effects of cancer I believe that we could lower the number of people who have to face cancer.