What does RCC mean in MEDICAL

Causes

The exact cause of RCC is not known; however, there are certain predisposing factors that may increase one's risk for developing this disease. Some conditions that could put someone at higher risk include obesity, family history of kidney disease or cancer, prior radiation therapy to the abdominal area or having had an organ transplant involving the kidney. In addition, some research suggests that long-term exposure to certain toxins such as asbestos or cadmium may also increase one's risk for developing RCC.

Symptoms

In its early stages, RCC may not cause any symptoms at all because it is usually found incidentally on imaging exams done for other reasons. However, as the tumor grows larger it can cause a number of symptoms including blood in the urine (hematuria), a mass or lump felt on the side of abdomen or back (flank mass), fatigue due to anemia (low red blood cell count) related to bleeding within the tumor, pain (in advanced cases) and an enlarged abdomen due to fluid buildup from blocked lymphatic vessels normally present within normal kidneys.

Diagnosis

RCC is typically diagnosed through imaging techniques such as a computed tomography scan (CT scan) or ultrasound which reveals an abnormality that might be suspicious for cancer. Other tests may then be performed including cystoscopy and biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and determine how advanced the disease is prior to initiating treatment options such as surgical removal of part or all of a kidney depending on extent of spread/invasion beyond one lobe/tissue compartment (partial nephrectomy) versus full removal of entire involved kidney (radical nephrectomy).

Treatment

The treatment strategy used for RCC depends on multiple factors including stage and size at diagnosis as well as patient age and comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus or hypertension. Generally speaking nephrectomy remains a mainstay regardless of stage with adjuvant therapies including targeted systemic drug therapy consisting mainly tyrosine kinase inhibitors with antiangiogenic properties as well as immuno-oncology treatments being employed based on traditional clinical parameters like tumor stage & grade along with some specific biomarkers like pAXL expression status etc.