Kidney Cancer Often Silent, 47 Per Cent Cases Detected At Late Stage

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 (Bernama) -- Forty-seven per cent of kidney cancer cases in Malaysia are detected at a late stage, highlighting the importance of early screening for a disease that often shows no symptoms during its initial phases.

Sunway Medical Centre (SMC), Sunway City, Consultant Urologist and Robotic Surgeon Dr Christopher Lee Kheng Siang said kidney cancer, also known as Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC), has a high cure rate when detected early.

He said RCC often developed silently, with early-stage tumours causing few or no noticeable symptoms, while late-stage disease was often incurable and treatment was mainly aimed at prolonging survival.

“Early kidney tumours and cysts are usually silent. In most cases, they are picked up incidentally during abdominal ultrasound scans done as part of health screening.

“The symptoms tend to appear only when tumours grow larger. These may include pain in the abdomen or lower back, an abdominal swelling, or blood in the urine. In more advanced disease, patients may also notice fatigue, reduced appetite or unexplained weight loss,” he said in a statement today.

Dr Lee said when a kidney tumour or suspicious cyst was detected, patients would be referred to a urologist for further tests, with a contrast CT scan of the kidneys and urinary tract usually performed.

He said CT scans could diagnose kidney cancers with an accuracy of 95 to 99 per cent and, in most cases, a biopsy was not required before treatment.

“Early RCC can be cured with surgery to remove the tumour,” he said, adding that depending on the size and location of the tumour, the procedure could involve removing only the tumour through partial nephrectomy or the entire kidney.

Dr Lee said partial nephrectomy was always preferred when feasible as it preserved functioning kidney tissue, which was especially important for younger patients, those with a single functioning kidney, or those at risk of developing chronic kidney disease.

He said kidney cancer surgery could be performed through open, laparoscopic or robotic-assisted techniques, with the latter two involving smaller wounds, less pain, shorter hospital stays and faster recovery compared with open surgery.

“Laparoscopic nephrectomy is now the gold standard for large kidney tumours that are not suitable for partial nephrectomy, with open surgery reserved only for the most complex cases,” he said.

Dr Lee said robotic-assisted surgery enabled surgeons to perform more complex kidney-preserving procedures using minimally invasive techniques, adding that the technology did not operate independently as all surgical movements were controlled by the surgeon without any automated or artificial intelligence-driven actions.

“The technology provides a three-dimensional, high-definition view and precise instruments that mimic the surgeon’s hand movements. This allows us to attempt complex partial nephrectomies that previously would have required removing the entire kidney.

“RCC is a highly curable disease when detected early. Comprehensive annual health screening is the only reliable way to diagnose kidney cancer early, as it is often silent,” he said.

He added that many kidney tumours could be treated by removing the tumour alone to preserve kidney function through minimally invasive surgery, stressing that regular health screening for Malaysians who felt well and symptom-free could be life-changing.

-- BERNAMA