SINGAPORE - Kidney cancer has now entered the list of top ten of cancers among
males in Singapore for the first time.
There's been a prominent rise in
the number of cases in the last ten years.
From 1993 to 1997, there were 60
to 70 cases of kidney cancer a year in Singapore. From 2006 to 2010, the number
has gone up to an alarming 160 to 200 cases a year.
According to Dr Tay Miah Hiang,
Consultant Medical Oncologist of OncoCare Cancer Centre, the rise could be
attributed to Singapore’s ageing population.
In addition, as Singapore
develops economically and becomes more westernised, it is seeing higher rates
of smoking and a growing obesity problem.
These are well-known risk factors
for cancer and contributes to the rising number of kidney cancer cases, he told
YourHealth.
Of these, renal cell carcinoma
(RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults, accounting for 85 per
cent of all kidney cancer cases.
RCC is a type of kidney cancer
that starts in the lining of very small tubes in the kidney, and is known to be
highly resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
About 20 per cent of patients at
present are in the advanced stage, where patients generally face a poor
prognosis and survival rates are low.
Advanced kidney cancer is curable
if it is detected at early stage and it can be removed via surgery in its
entirety. Even if it reaches the later stages where the disease is no longer
curable, it is treatable and life expectancy can be prolonged.
Am I at risk?
According to the National Cancer
Registry, it has a peak incidence at 60 to 70 years of age, with men one and a
half times as likely to develop the cancer as women.
"The group of people that
are classified to be in the high risk zone includes chronic smokers, or those
who have high blood pressure or have under gone long-term dialysis," said
Dr Tay.
Other risk factors include
smoking and those whose families have had a history of genetic syndromes.
What are the symptoms?
Dr Tay said that Singaporeans are
generally not aware of the prevalency of kidney cancer, and one of the main
reasons is because renal cancers are not easily detectable through physical
examinations until the later stages.
In addition, the symptoms of RCC
are generally non-specific.
They can include fatigue, weight
loss, anaemia, pain, mass on the side or lower back and blood in the urine.
The good news is that with the
new treatment options available today, patients are able to maintain their
quality of life and live their lives to the fullest without being crippled by
dehibilitating side effetcs.
Dr Tay explained that there is a
new targeted therapy for RCC used as a first-line treatment option to inhibit
the key protein (tyrosine kinases) involved in tumour growth.
The latest drug in this class is
Pazopanib. This treatment helps prevent the formation of new blood vessels by
blocking the growth of kidney cancer tumours, which depend on blood vessels to
survive, he said.
In doing so, it prevents cancer
progression and the spread of cancer cells.
It's used to treat cases of
advanced RCC and for patients who have received prior cytokine therapy for
advanced disease.
Unlike earlier treatment options
which have severe side effects such as mucositis/stomatitis (inflammation of
the mouth) and fatigue, this option offers a low incidence of side effects,
thus improving the overall quality of life.
Ultimately, living a healthy
lifestyle and having a nutritious diet is the most effective way to minimise
all forms of diseases, including cancer.
Dr Tay said that for example,
it's been proven that simple lifestyle changes like avoiding carcinogenic foods
as well and cutting down smoking can reduce a person's risk of cancer.
For the rest of Singapore’s
ageing population who remain at risk, early diagnosis is advised.
Kei Yamada
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