Renal cell carcinoma is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults. Other, less common types of kidney cancer can also occur.
Multidisciplinary care for kidney cancer patients
Marcella Moreno Welshies Latin Agency for News Medicine and Public Health
Not all cancer treatments can involve only physical changes to the patient, but also emotional changes, and as in other medical conditions, not all patients react to the same treatments, so multidisciplinary control is essential to provide the best quality of life possible.
When a patient is diagnosed and ready to receive treatment, it is common to feel fear, because they do not know in detail what treatments they will be receiving and their side effects, so it is imperative that they have the support of a medical team and family members.
Symptoms
Kidney cancer usually has no signs or symptoms in its early stages. Over time, signs and symptoms may develop, including the following:
- Blood in the urine that may appear pink or red.
- Pain in the back or side.
- Weight loss for no apparent reason
- fatigue
- Fever
Dealing with side effects
Your specialist will guide you through the process to choose the best treatment that focuses on attacking and slowing the growth of cancer cells, however, you may notice changes in your physical health depending on the stage of the cancer, the duration and dose of treatment, and your general health.
It is imperative that you establish good contact with your medical team so that you can inform them how you feel and thus receive support, and a very effective way is to record the changes you notice in your body to see if the treatment you receive is achieving the expected effects.
For patients who have undergone surgery, it is important that they continue their treatment with comprehensive medications that can help improve prognosis and follow the specialist’s recommendations, whether in adherence to treatments that prevent the emergence of cancer cells or in the nutritional issues they are necessary to improve and stabilize the patient’s health.
Caring for a family member with kidney cancer
The accompaniment of family and close friends is essential so that the patient feels accompanied during the diagnosis and treatment process.
Caregivers can provide accompaniment to medical appointments and ensure that medication dosages are complied with and taken or help on time with strict treatments, in order to prevent cancer leaving the kidneys and spreading to other parts of the body or that small tumors initially may increase in size.
Patients suffering from this type of cancer today have effective medications to support the immune system in its fight to destroy cancer cells.
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