Stage 4 kidney cancer means the cancer has spread from the kidney to other areas of the body, making it difficult to eliminate all of the cancer. Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, and biologic therapy, but survival rates are low, with less than 10% of patients surviving more than five years. Younger patients tend to fare better, and overall health plays a role in life expectancy.
Stage 4 is the most serious form of kidney cancer, with this designation meaning that the cancer has spread from the kidney to other areas of the body. With stage 4 kidney cancer, the cancerous cells have passed through the fibrous tissue around the kidney and spread to other organs or have branched out to at least one lymph node. Few patients with this advanced stage of the disease live longer than five years, but life expectancy depends on the patient’s overall health. Many patients choose to try various treatments to increase their life expectancy and possibly eliminate the cancer altogether.
This stage of cancer can indicate some possibilities. One scenario is that cancerous cells have penetrated the fibrous tissue surrounding the kidney, affecting at least one nearby lymph node. Another possibility is that the cancer has invaded other organs. At this point, it may be too late to eliminate all of the cancer, which is why many people with stage 4 kidney cancer are given only a few years to live. Many patients, however, take whatever treatment they can in an effort to increase their life expectancy, or at least to ease their pain.
In cases where the cancer hasn’t spread too far from the kidney, the cells can be eliminated from the body by surgically removing the kidney and any affected lymph nodes. Patients whose cancer has spread throughout the body may still opt for this treatment to get rid of most of the cancer cells, but often still need systemic therapy, which treats the entire body. Chemotherapy is an example of systemic treatment, with patients taking drugs that travel through the body to kill some of the cancer cells. Another possible treatment for stage 4 kidney cancer is biologic therapy, in which the body’s immune system is used to fight cancerous cells by taking interleukin-2 or interferon alpha. Common effects of treating stage 4 kidney cancer include hair loss, a weak immune system, and weight loss.
According to various studies, less than 10% of patients diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer survive more than five years. Treatment may slightly increase the chances of survival over the past five years, as well as the patient’s overall health. Younger patients tend to fare better when it comes to fighting this disease. Doctors can also use certain symptoms to determine if a patient is strong enough to fight off the disease. For example, those with fever, weight loss, and fatigue are often weaker and less likely to survive more than five years after being diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer.
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