What is Renal Medullary Carcinoma?
The following information was provided by Wikipedia:
Renal Medullary Carcinoma is an extremely rare, aggressive cancer of the kidney.
Causes
Most individuals who develop this type of cancer have sickle cell trait, which is a genetic mutation responsible for sickle cell disease. While these individuals might not have sickle cell disease itself, they can eventually develop associated symptoms such as kidney damage.
It is unknown at this time whether there are other genetic or environmental factors that may cause renal medullary carcinoma.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Symptoms of renal medullary carcinoma can include visible blood in urine (gross hematuria), back or abdominal pain, and weight loss. Some individuals can also develop enlarged lymph nodes or even a palpable mass on a kidney.
Because this type of cancer is so rare, doctors aren't able to perform preventative screening. Individuals that show the above symptoms may undergo an abdominal CT scan, a surgical biopsy, and examination by a pathologist in order to be properly diagnosed.
Treatment
Because this form of cancer is so aggressive, by the time individuals are diagnosed the cancer has often metastasized, or spread to other organs or tissues. It is also resistant to chemotherapy. Treatment usually involves removal of the affected organ(s) or tissues and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the prognosis tends to be poor for most affected individuals.