Complications of kidney cancer

Kidneys are organs located on each side of the abdomen whose prime function is to cleanse the blood from the poisons and acids which accumulate in it as well as maintain water balance in the body by discharging the urine.

Overview of kidney cancer

Should cancer attack the kidneys, it will most likely affect only one of them. Although there are various kinds of cancer attacking the kidneys, the most common kind of all is renal cell cancer.

However, all things considered, kidney cancer itself is not very frequent but when it does occur it usually affects males over the age of 50. Its main problem lies in the fact that it does not manifest any noticeable symptoms until it comes to a fairly advanced stage when its usually impossible to treat although there are certain drugs which can help to somewhat extend the life span of someone with kidney cancer.

The best case scenario would be to discover the cancer in its early stages accidentally while testing someone for some entirely different condition. If this happens, the cancer could be terminated by removing the kidney whether partially orcompletely.

Problems accompanying kidney cancer

Complications arising from kidney cancer are most likely regarding the patient’s mental health. Although it’s not impossible to detect it in somewhat earlier stages this cancer is most commonly discovered in the considerably advanced ones when there is not much left to do for the person but relieve the pain.

That is when the person almost certainly goes through the five stages of grief. They include denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. During the first stage, the person is refusing to accept the medical facts and has real difficulty believing in the diagnosis, because it is unthinkable to even begin to comprehend that their time on this Earth is so limited. When the second stage, the anger stage begins one has usually allowed himself to face the diagnosis, however, this does not help him understand the injustice of such a situation, causing him to throw fits of anger, as well as yell and fight with friends and family for the slightest of reasons.

The next stage is called the bargaining stage and simply put - it is characterized by grasping at straws. The person will insist on the doctor figuring out a solution to treat the disease. After being reassured that nothing can be done the patient drifts into the depression stage where he begins feeling all the hopelessness of his situation and looses interest in everything and everyone around him. In the end the cancer patient will hopefully be able to reach the final stage and accept the situation peacefully.