Kidney cancer is quite rare and diagnosing the symptoms can be difficult. In most cases, the disease remains undetected, is accidentally found, or is diagnosed in the later stages. Doctors will often suggest surgery as it is one of the best treatments for renal (kidney) cancer and gives patients the best means of survival. Doctors remove the affected kidney, helping patients live a longer life.

Based on the stage of cancer and the affected area, doctors perform surgery to remove the cancer-affected parts along with kidney tissues. In most cases, the surgery is also done to remove the adrenal gland and fatty tissues.

Some different surgeries that are used to treat kidney cancer include the following:

1. Radical nephrectomy
One of the most common treatments for renal/kidney cancer, in this procedure doctors mostly remove the kidney along with the adrenal gland, fat tissues, and lymph nodes present around the kidney. Doctors even make a slit in different places. The slits made are mostly in the belly region and the back. The surgery comes with its set of advantages, as it helps the doctors understand the situation and the stage. Sometimes, doctors even leave the adrenal gland if cancer only affects the lower part of the kidney.

Big tumors require a radical nephrectomy. If cancer has crossed the advanced stage, and sometimes depending on the stage, doctors may remove the kidney to obstruct it from spreading further.

2. Regional Lymphadenectomy
Doctors consider regional lymphadenectomy as one of the best treatments for renal/kidney cancer, as they remove the lymph nodes close to the kidney in case it gets affected as well. This involves surgery, and if the condition worsens, it becomes necessary to remove more lymph nodes before the tumor becomes cancerous. Mostly, doctors consider it necessary to remove the lymph nodes if they look abnormal or enlarged during the surgery.

3. Partial nephrectomy
This method is helpful and preferred for renal/kidney cancer. In this procedure, the doctors mostly discard the affected part of the kidney, leaving the other half as is. Just like in radical nephrectomy, doctors slit different places to remove the affected part. This surgery helps those people who are detected with kidney cancer in the first stage, as it eliminates any tumor growth. Moreover, this provides long-term results like a radical nephrectomy. It is important to keep in mind that this surgery is not recommended if the tumor affects the midsection of the kidney or if it is large.

These are some surgery options mostly available for patients who suffer from kidney cancer.