This website is designed to inform and educate Irish people on Cancers of the Kidney, Bladder, Prostate and Testis. Its goal is to educate patients Urological Cancers and the benefits of increased awareness and early detection. Links are provided to International websites for further information throughout.
Welcome to
SOUTHSIDE UROLOGY
Information on Kidney Cancer
Kidney cancer represents the 8th commonest cancer in Irish men and the 12th commonest in Irish women (NCRI 2009). Surgery in the form of total or partial removal of the kidney is the mainstay of treatment. Kidney surgery is undergoing major changes as we understand more about how surgery affects kidney function and how we can preserve that function. Remarkable advances in technology allow for Laparoscopic and Robotic approaches as well as the ‘mini-flank’ incision open approach. The greatest improvements have been made with Biological targeted agents that can be given to manage disease that has spread beyond the kidney, or within clinical trials at present, to prevent disease recurring after potentially curative surgery. Five years ago, the best available treatment was ineffective in 85% of patients, now most patients respond to any of five new agents available, although eradicating disease that has spread beyond the kidney is uncommon. Staging with CT scan and regular follow up are key in detecting early disease recurrence.
