What Does Kidney Nodule Mean, and Is It Curable?

Renal nodule is commonly known as kidney tumor, with more than 90% being malignant kidney tumors, which requires great attention from patients. Renal nodules can be divided into multiple types, and among them, benign tumors such as renal angiomyolipoma can often be cured. However, for malignant tumors such as renal cell carcinoma, renal pelvis carcinoma, nephroblastoma, and nephroma, the prognosis varies depending on the specific condition. Early and active treatment can strive for a good prognosis, while late discovery often leads to a poorer prognosis.

Also known as renal adenocarcinoma, adrenal-like tumor, etc., renal clear cell carcinoma is the most common type. The clinical manifestations of renal cell carcinoma are variable and may include: hematuria, flank pain, lumbar and abdominal masses, fever, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, increased or decreased red blood cells, hypertension, liver function changes, spontaneous perinephric hemorrhage, weight loss, etc. Surgical resection of the lesion is the main treatment.

Urothelial carcinoma is the most common type. The early clinical manifestations are painless gross hematuria, and in the late stage, there may be low back pain, lumbar and abdominal masses, low fever, and weight loss. The treatment mainly involves surgical resection of the affected kidney, surrounding fat capsule, ureter, and part of the bladder. As urothelial carcinoma is prone to recurrence, postoperative bladder instillation chemotherapy is often used as adjuvant treatment.

It is a common embryonal malignant tumor in children. The clinical manifestations often include abdominal masses found by parents. Typically, the masses have a smooth and flat surface, hard texture, and no tenderness, and they are usually fixed. Some children may have abdominal distension or asymmetry on both sides. A few children may have symptoms of digestive system diseases such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and anorexia.