Kidney tumour
Encyclopedia
Kidney tumours also known as renal tumours, are tumours, or growths, on or in the kidney
. These growths can be benign
or malignant
(cancerous). They may be discovered on medical imaging
incidentally (i.e. an incidentaloma
), or may be present in patients as an abdominal mass, hematuria
, abdominal pain
, or manifest first in a paraneoplastic syndrome
that seems unrelated to the kidney.
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
. These growths can be benign
Benign
A benign tumor is a tumor that lacks the ability to metastasize. Common examples of benign tumors include moles and uterine fibroids.The term "benign" implies a mild and nonprogressive disease. Indeed, many kinds of benign tumors are harmless to human health...
or malignant
Malignant
Malignancy is the tendency of a medical condition, especially tumors, to become progressively worse and to potentially result in death. Malignancy in cancers is characterized by anaplasia, invasiveness, and metastasis...
(cancerous). They may be discovered on medical imaging
Medical imaging
Medical imaging is the technique and process used to create images of the human body for clinical purposes or medical science...
incidentally (i.e. an incidentaloma
Incidentaloma
In medicine, an incidentaloma is a tumor found by coincidence without clinical symptoms or suspicion. It is a common problem: up to 7% of all patients over 60 may harbor a benign growth, often of the adrenal gland, which is detected when diagnostic imaging is used for the analysis of unrelated...
), or may be present in patients as an abdominal mass, hematuria
Hematuria
In medicine, hematuria, or haematuria, is the presence of red blood cells in the urine. It may be idiopathic and/or benign, or it can be a sign that there is a kidney stone or a tumor in the urinary tract , ranging from trivial to lethal...
, abdominal pain
Abdominal pain
Abdominal pain can be one of the symptoms associated with transient disorders or serious disease. Making a definitive diagnosis of the cause of abdominal pain can be difficult, because many diseases can result in this symptom. Abdominal pain is a common problem...
, or manifest first in a paraneoplastic syndrome
Paraneoplastic syndrome
A paraneoplastic syndrome is a disease or symptom that is the consequence of the presence of cancer in the body, but is not due to the local presence of cancer cells. These phenomena are mediated by humoral factors excreted by tumor cells or by an immune response against the tumor...
that seems unrelated to the kidney.
Malignant (cancerous)
- The most frequent, malignant, primary kidney cancer is renal cell carcinomaRenal cell carcinomaRenal cell carcinoma is a kidney cancer that originates in the lining of the proximal convoluted tubule, the very small tubes in the kidney that filter the blood and remove waste products. RCC is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults, responsible for approximately 80% of cases...
(RCC) - which has several subtypes:- Clear cell RCC.
- Papillary RCC
- Chromophobe RCC
- Collecting duct RCC
- Metastatic tumour, e.g. ovarian carcinoma.
Benign
- Renal oncocytomaRenal oncocytomaA renal oncocytoma is a tumour of the kidney made up of oncocytes, a special kind of cell.-Presentation:An oncocytoma is an epithelial tumor composed of oncocytes, large eosinophilic cells having small, round, benign-appearing nuclei with large nucleoli.-Pathophysiology:Renal oncocytoma is thought...
- Cystic nephromaCystic nephromaA cystic nephroma, also known as multilocular cystic nephroma, mixed epithelial stromal tumour and renal epithelial stromal tumour , is a type of rare benign kidney tumour.-Symptoms:...
- AngiomyolipomaAngiomyolipomaAngiomyolipoma are the most common benign tumour of the kidney and are composed of blood vessels, smooth muscle cells and fat cells. Angiomyolipoma are strongly associated with the genetic disease tuberous sclerosis, in which most individuals will have several angiomyolipoma affecting both kidneys...
- Metanephric adenomaMetanephric adenomaMetanephric adenoma is a rare, benign tumour of the kidney, that can have a microscopic appearance similar to a nephroblastoma , or a papillary renal cell carcinoma....
- Renal medullary fibromaRenal medullary fibromaRenal medullary fibroma, also renomedullary interstitial cell tumour and medullary fibroma, is a benign kidney tumour. It is commonly an incidental finding.-Diagnosis:...