Genitourinary Oncology Program

Kidney Cancer (Renal Cancer)

Symptoms and Diagnosis

These symptoms for kidney cancer may also be caused by other conditions. Consult your doctor if you are experiencing any/all of the following:

blood in the urine
low back pain (not caused by an injury)
unrelieved pain in the side
mass or lump in the belly
fatigue, tiredness
loss of appetite
rapid, unexplained weight loss
recurrent fever (not caused by a cold or the flu)
swelling of ankles and legs
high blood pressure (less frequently)
anemia (less frequently)

Additional tests may be ordered by your physician to determine if these symptoms are a result of kidney cancer

Diagnosis

If a patient has symptoms of kidney cancer, a doctor may take the patient's medical history and perform a physical examination, and run routine blood and urine laboratory tests. Additional evaluation procedures may include:

intravenous pyelogram (IVP) - a series of x-rays of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder with the injection of a dye to show changes in the shape of these organs and nearby lymph nodes.
arteriography - a series of x-rays of the blood vessels with the injection of a dye to show the dye as it moves through the network of blood vessels in and around the kidney.
other imaging tests - include computed tomography (CT scan), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and/or ultrasonography, which can show the difference between diseased and healthy tissues.

Based on results of other tests and procedures, a biopsy may be needed. A biopsy is a procedure in which a sample of the tumor is removed and sent to the laboratory for examination under a microscope by a pathologist. Biopsy is the only sure way to diagnose cancer

This page was last updated on: March 3, 2008.