Renal is the Latin word for kidney. Your kidneys
are the two large, bean-shaped organs just to
the left and just the right of your backbone.
The main job of the kidneys is to filter the blood
and rid the body of urine, or liquid waste. Urine
leaves the kidneys through a long slender tube called
a ureter, which connects to the bladder, where the
urine is stored until it leaves the body.
Although we have two kidneys, it is possible to survive
with less than even one complete kidney. Some people
live without any kidneys at all. Their blood is filtered
by a machine in a process called dialysis.
The most common type of kidney cancer is called renal
cell cancer. It accounts for about 85% of kidney
tumors.
Source: American Cancer Society
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