Why some kidney cancer patients are living longer
Kidney cancer is among the 10 most common cancers in both men and women. About 81,000 people will be diagnosed with it this year. A decade ago, advanced kidney cancer was a death sentence, but now, new therapies and cutting-edge drugs are helping more people live longer, healthier lives. New therapies and cutting-edge drugs are helping more people live longer, healthier lives due to advanced kidney cancer, a decade ago, which was a death sentence. The most common form of kidney cancer is Renal cell carcinoma, which can spread beyond the confines of the kidney to other sites of the body or has returned after initial attempts at curing it. However, immunotherapy is usually used to kill the cancer cells, but a new study has shown the effectiveness of using immunotherapies combined with a new generation of oral therapies. The study also revealed that 95 percent of patients using a combination of drugs saw no further growth of the tumor and 71 percent had a significant reduction in the size of it. Smoking is the primary risk factor for kidney cancer.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Ivanhoe Newswire in Health
DALLAS, Tx – Kidney cancer is among the 10 most common cancers in both men and women. About 81,000 people will be diagnosed with it this year. A decade ago, advanced kidney cancer was a death sentence, but now, new therapies and cutting-edge drugs are helping more people live longer, healthier lives.
“I noticed there was some blood in my urine,” recalled kidney cancer patient, Brent Hall.
It’s one of the big red flags when it comes to kidney cancer.
Ralph Auriemma, another kidney cancer patient, said, “I used to have a trace of blood in my urine, every physical, but this time there was more than a trace.”
But once a person sees blood in their urine, it means the cancer is probably more advanced. The most common form of it?
“Renal cell carcinoma is the most common cancer of the kidney,” said oncologist at Baylor Scott & White Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, Thomas Hutson, MD.
“The cancer can be cured, usually, with surgery, but once it has spread beyond the confines of the kidney to other sites of the body or has returned after initial attempts at curing it, then the cancer is generally not felt to be curable,” Hutson explained.
That’s when immunotherapy is used — using antibodies to turn on the body’s immune system to kill the cancer cells, but now a new study shows the effectiveness of using immunotherapies combined with a new generation of oral therapies.
Hutson further explained, “And for the first time ever, there’s a small group of patients that can actually witness their cancer disappear on X-rays.”
The phase three “CLEAR Study” showed by using a combination of drugs, 95 percent of patients saw no further growth of the tumor and 71 percent had a significant reduction in the size of it.
“More patients are living with their cancer longer than ever before in history, and our goal is to cure more patients, and I think that’s a realistic expectation over time,” Hutson added.
Smoking is the number one risk factor for kidney cancer. Other risk factors include high blood pressure, obesity, family history and workplace exposure to certain substances.