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A new ruling by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) will deny advanced kidney cancer patients four medicines, because they cost too much.

The four drugs - Sutent, Avastin, Nexavar and Torisel - don't cure the cancer, but can extend patient's lives by 5-6 months. Professor Peter Littlejohns from NICE admitted: 'Though these treatments are clinically effective, they are not cost-effective.'

goodtoknow says: Most cases of cancer of the kidney affect men over 60 and, if caught early enough, the survival rate is good. Early symptoms are blood in your urine and pain in your abdomen. There are many different kidney cancers with renal cell cancer the most common. It's not really known why you get it, but you're more at risk of getting cancerous tumours in your kidneys if you smoke, are obese, have had dialysis or a family history of kidney disease. Treatments include immunotherapy medication, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery or 'arterial embolisation' where the blood vessel is blocked off.

For a full medical explanation of the causes, symptoms and treatments of cancer of the kidney from patient.co.uk, read on.

• Next: What are the kidneys?

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