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Treat Your Kidney Stones Before They Cause Cancer

by Dr. Hena Mariam on May 12, 2023 at 2:27 PM
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Highlights:

Kidney stones often go unnoticed and untreated. Here is a case of how important it is to treat kidney stones so they don't cause cancer later on.


A middle-aged man ignored large stones in both of his kidneys and was recently diagnosed with kidney cancer years later. This case was reported in Lucknow, India.

Cancer: A Terrible Consequence of Untreated Kidney Stones

According to his doctor, Prof. Vishwajeet Singh, head of the nephrology department at King George's Medical University, the man in question had bilateral staghorn stones, which are typically big and can cause substantial damage to the kidney walls if left untreated for an extended length of time. Squamous cell carcinoma, a kind of kidney cancer, is an uncommon but critical consequence of big kidney stones that go untreated.

‘Can kidney stones cause cancer? A man in Lucknow, India, has been diagnosed with kidney cancer after having untreated kidney stones.’

Kidney stones and kidney cancer share a set of similar symptoms, like blood in the urine severe pain on one side of the lower back, and fever. If it goes untreated, kidney cancer can spread to other organs and become more challenging to treat.

Doctors caution that patients frequently disregard kidney stones if the pain is not severe or chronic. This delay in seeking medical care may result in more serious health problems, as in the case of the middle-aged man in Lucknow, whose cancer has spread to other organs.

Early detection and Treatment is Key

Doctors often stress the importance of early detection and treatment of kidney stones. This is done to prevent complications like kidney cancer.

The individual is currently receiving treatment and chemotherapy from the oncology department.

The man would have been living a normal life if he had undertaken the procedure, but his ignorance exacerbated the condition.

What are Kidney Stones?

A kidney stone is a solid, pebble-like piece of material that can form in one or both of your kidneys when high levels of certain minerals are in your urine. Kidney stones rarely cause permanent damage if treated by a healthcare professional (1).

What is Kidney Cancer?

Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. When cancer starts in the kidney, it is called kidney and renal pelvis cancer. It can also be called renal cell cancer as that is the most common type of kidney and renal pelvis cancer (2).

Can Kidney Stones Cause Kidney Cancer?

Studies have shown that there is a link between kidney stones and kidney cancer. The risk increases depending on when kidney stones first occur. People who were diagnosed with kidney stones below or at the age of 40 years old had an increased risk of kidney cancer compared to those who received their diagnosis later in life (3).
References:
  1. Information about Kidney Stones - (https:www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/kidney-stones)
  2. What Are the Kidneys? - (https:www.cdc.gov/cancer/kidney/index.htm)
  3. Kidney stones and the risk of renal cell carcinoma and upper tract urothelial carcinoma: the Netherlands Cohort Study - (https:pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30563989/)


Source: Medindia

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