| The kidneys filter the blood and rid the body of wastes. Approximately one million nephrons (right) compose each bean-shaped kidney (left). The filtration unit of the nephron, called the glomerulus, regulates the concentration within the body of important substances such as potassium, calcium, and hydrogen, and removes substances not produced by the body such as drugs and food additives. Cancers that originate in the filtration tissues of the kidney, called renal cell cancer, account for 85 percent of all cancers of the kidney. A small percentage of cancers originate in the renal pelvis, a cavity in the center of each kidney. |
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