KIDNEY CANCER – ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS AND POST SURGERY

TREATMENTS WHEN SURGERY IS NOT POSSIBLE.

For some people, surgery may be too risky. These people have other options for treating their kidney cancers, including:

1. Blocking blood flow to the tumor (embolization). In this procedure, a special material is injected into the main blood vessel leading to the kidney. By clogging this vessel, the tumor is deprived of oxygen and other nutrients. Arterial embolization also may be used before an operation or to relieve pain and bleeding when an operation isn’t possible. Side effects may include temporary nausea, vomiting or pain.
2. Treatment to freeze cancer cells (cryoablation). Recent studies show cryoablation may be useful for treating kidney tumors that can’t be removed through surgery. During cryoablation, one or more special needles (cryoprobes) are inserted through small incisions in your skin and into the tumor. Gas in the needles creates extreme cold that causes the cells around the point of each needle to freeze. Doctors use CT scans to monitor the procedure and to ensure that all of the visible cancer tissue and some of the surrounding healthy tissue is frozen. Another type of gas in the needles creates warmth to thaw the frozen tissue. Then the process is repeated. The cycles of freezing and thawing cause cancer cells to die. You may experience some pain after the procedure. Rare side effects may include bleeding, infection and damage to tissue surrounding the tumor. (more…)