Kidney Cancer

Abstract

Cancer of the kidney, which represents about 3% of all adult cancers worldwide, refers to several histological types with distinct histological and biological features. Included is renal cell carcinoma, the most common renal epithelial cancer in adults, which accounts for over 90% of all renal malignancies combined. In the ancient medical literature of Chinese Medicine, references to kidney cancer were seldom, and the disease was vaguely referred to based on its clinical manifestation of the disease, including “hematuria,” “lumbago,” “aggregation and accumulation,” “kidney aggregation,” and other nomenclatures. Although China is among the countries with low incidence, the number of new cases has increased recently, particularly in males between 40~70 years old. Causal factors are not established, but genetic susceptibility factors, lifestyle, and exposure to carcinogens have been implicated in the development of this disease. Prognosis of advanced RCC is poor, in part because a significant number of patients present with metastases where current clinically available drugs are ineffective, and relapses are frequent. This chapter reviews our clinical experience using the TCM approach for the management of kidney cancer in an established oncology center at the large China–Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing. Selected case studies are presented.