Symptoms & Signs of Renal Cell Cancer
Many kidney cancers go undetected due to the lack of symptoms and are incidentally detected during the medical evaluation of an unrelated problem. Kidney cancers can cause symptoms by compressing, stretching or invading structures near or within the kidney. Symptoms caused by these processes include pain (in the flank, abdomen or back) and blood in…
Diagnosis & Tests for Renal Cell Cancer
Doctors use many tests to find, or diagnose, cancer. They also do tests to learn if cancer has spread to other parts of the body from where the cancer originated. A biopsy is the only certain way to confirm a diagnosis of cancer. When performing a biopsy, the doctor takes a sample of tissue for…
General Cancer Information
Cancer is not one disease, but many diseases that occur in different areas of the body. Each type of cancer is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of cells. Under normal conditions, cell reproduction is carefully controlled by the body. However, these controls can malfunction, resulting in abnormal cell growth and the development of a lump,…
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors
Overview Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are relatively rare cancers that originate in the cells of Cajal, which are specialized cells lining the digestive tract responsible for initiating the rhythmic movement that propels food and solid waste through the GI tract. GISTs are characterized by specific genetic abnormalities that cause overactivity of a specific gene, called…
Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN)
Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are a related group of blood cancers. In these disorders, the bone marrow cells that produce blood cells develop and function abnormally. The three main types of MPN are polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF). In addition to developing on its own, myelofibrosis may also develop as a…