Removing the tumour can reduce or get rid of these symptoms. Cytokines can cause symptoms such as drowsiness or sickness. In kidney cancer, the tumour can release chemicals called cytokines in your blood. Surgery to remove the cancer in your kidney can help with symptoms such as pain or blood in your urine. You might have surgery even if it's unlikely to cure your cancer. But if your cancer hasn't spread, it's all the treatment you will need. You would need to take hormone tablets every day if this happens.Ī radical nephrectomy is major surgery. It's unusual to have both adrenal glands removed. The remaining adrenal gland will make all the hormones you need. If you have an adrenal gland removed you will be perfectly well with only one. It is quite unusual for cancer to spread to one of the adrenal glands. You might also have an adrenal gland removed if your surgeon thinks it may contain cancer cells. They also remove some lymph nodes in this area.Ībove each kidney is an adrenal gland. The surgeon removes the whole kidney and some of the tissues around it. Removing a whole kidney (radical nephrectomy) If you're worried about this, talk it through with your surgeon. Some people may not be able to have this surgery because of the cancer’s position in the kidney. The nephron is the filtering unit of the kidney – so you have some working kidney left after the operation. Some of the kidney is left behind.ĭoctors call this nephron sparing surgery. The surgeon removes the part of the kidney containing the cancer. Wherever possible, it’s used to treat stage 1 kidney cancer (less than 7cm across). This operation is used for small kidney cancers that have not spread. Removing part of a kidney (partial nephrectomy) An operation could control the growth and relieve symptoms. If surgery is unlikely to cure your cancer, it can still help. The surgery aims to cure the cancer if the surgeon can remove the cancer completely. cancer that has spread into nearby tissues (locally advanced kidney cancer).cancer that is contained within the kidney (early kidney cancer).You might have surgery to remove part of your kidney (partial nephrectomy), or your whole kidney (radical nephrectomy).

Mass on kidney and adrenal gland