The kidneys are organs located in the retroperitoneum, below the lungs, behind the sides. The height is big.

1. Substance that belongs to the cortex and the cortex

2. Renal calyx, the path through which urine made in the substance comes out

3. It consists of the renal pelvis where urine from the renal vessel joins primarily.

Usually, the term kidney cancer refers to cancer that occurs in the parenchyma. The tissue shape is different from the tumor derived from the kidney and the renal pelvis, and the surgical method is slightly different.

In the past, patients visited hospitals with major symptoms such as hematuria, side pain, and touching lumps, but more than 90% of patients visited the hospital because they were found "accidentally" before reaching these symptoms due to recent advances in radiology.

Surgical methods have also changed compared to the past, and in the past, if a lot of radical renal resection was performed to lift the entire kidney, the frequency of partial renal resection, which only removes the lump of kidney cancer, has recently increased rapidly. This is entirely related to when kidney cancer is found and the size of the lump, and the faster it is diagnosed, the more likely it is to remove the tumor while utilizing the function of the kidney.

The location of the tumor is also an important factor in determining the surgical method. Although the size is small, partial renal resection increases the difficulty of partial renal resection if it is adjacent to the renal blood vessel or invades the renal pelvis, and partial resection may not be possible. On the contrary, even for large tumors, partial renal resection can be considered if the distance from the renal vessels, the renal abdomen, and the renal pelvis is appropriate. Recent studies have reported that in the case of kidney cancer without metastasis, there is no significant difference in myopic renal resection, partial renal resection, recurrence rate and survival rate if the tumor is removed surgically. But partial renal resection is not the answer to all kidney cancers. It is most important for doctors to identify the size, nature, and location of the new sheep and choose a surgical method that considers the possibility of recurrence and metastasis of cancer and the quality of life of patients in the future.

In the case of partial renal resection, minimally invasive surgery (robot surgery) is very effective because the size of the lump that can be taken out of the body is small. Ewha Womans University Urology Hospital has recently minimized the loss of kidney function with ischemic partial kidney resection, and even in the case of a large number of tumors that need to be removed in one kidney, such as genetic diseases, only a large number of tumors are safely removed with partial resection without kidney damage. In addition, high-level surgery such as kidney cancer with malignant tumor thrombosis in the aorta is safely performed.

The adrenal gland is a bilateral organ located in the upper part of both kidneys and is an important organ essential for maintaining body metabolism and life by controlling hormones in our body.

Adrenal gland disease results from excess or insufficient production of adrenal hormones. Most of the patients referred to the Ewha Womans University Urology Institute are patients with excessive production of adrenal hormones due to adrenal tumors, or patients with large tumors without excessive production of hormones.

Adrenal tumor

Adrenal tumors are fairly rare and 90% are benign. Most occur in only one adrenal gland, and the location of the adrenal gland in which the tumor is located determines the nature of the tumor. Most adrenal tumors result in an overproduction of one or more adrenal hormones, which can increase the body's metabolism and affect water retention and response to physical stress, such as trauma.

Recently, the diagnosis of adrenal tumors is increasing due to the increase in ultrasound examinations in health checkups. According to a recent report, adrenal incidentaloma more than doubled, and the size of the tumor showed a decreasing trend. In addition, with the recent development of laparoscopic technology, there has been an overall trend of increasing minimally invasive surgery.

Cushing's Syndrome

In addition to metabolic regulation, corticosteroid hormones are also involved in hydration, salt, and blood pressure regulation. In Cushing's syndrome, overproduction of corticosteroids disrupts this regulation. It affects body fat distribution and body hair, which in turn changes the shape of the body, leading to depression and other psychological problems.

Hyperaldosteronemia

Aldosterone is a hormone produced by the adrenal cortex that affects the kidneys and is responsible for regulating fluids, electrolytes, and blood pressure. A disease in which aldosterone is overproduced in one or both adrenal glands is called hyperaldosteronism, and it causes high blood pressure by increasing salt absorption and potassium excretion through urine. However, the rate that this disease accounts for the cause of high blood pressure is about 1% of all high blood pressure.

Pheochromocytoma (Pheochromocytoma)

The adrenal glands produce epinephrine and norepinephrine in response to normal physical activity or stress. A disease in which these hormones are excessively secreted is pheochromocytoma, which occurs in the adrenal medulla. It is a relatively rare disease, with only about 1/10 being malignant and most being benign tumors. It can occur in multiple endocrine tumors.

At the Adrenal Tumor Center of Ewha Womans University Urology Institute, hormone tests and nuclear medicine tests are performed in consultation with the Endocrinology Department, and minimally invasive surgery is performed when surgery is necessary. Partial adrenal resection is being actively performed.