Benign kidney tumours

Benign kidney tumors are abnormal growths on the kidneys, which are not cancerous. These are usually not noticed on purpose, since they trigger no symptoms. Rather, benign kidney tumors are seen during regular tests or scans, accidentally. Initially, these tumors are not life-threatening. However, they should be taken care of in order no to become malign.

Types of Benign Kidney Tumors

The most common type of these tumors is renal adenoma. These are smaller growths which appear due to unknown reasons. Regardless, they are known to be present in 7 to 22% of autopsied corpses. In some cases, these tumors can become large enough to interfere with the normal functioning of the kidneys. The cells of this type of tumor resemble renal cell carcinoma greatly and sometimes even share the symptoms of this illness. This is why many doctors suggest that you treat them timely, disallowing them to become life-threatening.

Additionally, one of the possible benign kidney tumors is renal oncocytoma. These tumors are usually large and capable of appearing on other parts of the human body, not limiting themselves to kidneys. These growths are more commonly seen in men than in women. Usually, they are discovered without intention, being noticed on an ultrasound image or CT, MRI and some other scans. These are also removed in most cases, for preventive purposes.

Other Types of Benign Kidney Tumors

Renal hamatoma, which is a type of benign kidney tumor also known as angiomyolipoma, affects people rarely. These growths are triggered by genetic mutations which are inherited, usually appearing hand-in-hand with tuberous sclerosis. In fact, 80% of tuberous sclerosis have renal hematoma as well. Middle-aged women are a common risk group for development of these benign tumors. If a tumor of this type is small, it is usually left alone, being monitored by doctors on a regular basis. Yet, if it is a bigger one, it often has to be removed surgically.

When fibrous tissue is what a tumor consists of, these growths are called fibromas. Women are the risk group for developing these benign kidney tumors. These do not trigger any symptoms and are not noticed intentionally. When they are noticed, however, doctors treat them with nephrectomy.

Finally, one may suffer from lipomas, being tumors which appear in the fat tissue of the renal capsule, possibly spreading to the other tissue as well. They can easily become malign, growing and causing pain along with hematuria. These too are treated with total nephrectomy.