Kidney Cancer Symptoms & Diagnosis

Symptoms

Symptoms may include:

• Blood in the urine
• Unexplained lower back pain or new pain elsewhere
• Shortness of breath or cough
• Lump in the belly
• Elevated blood pressure
• Unplanned, significant weight loss
• Unexplained fever
• Swelling of ankles, legs, and/or abdomen

Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history, and perform a physical exam.

Tests may include:

• Blood and urine tests—to check kidney function or find substances that indicate kidney cancer may be present
• Bone scan—for this test, you receive a special radioactive material that specifically lights up bones that are undergoing an active process, such as tumor growth. Kidney cancer likes to spread to the bones and this test is often performed to ensure the bones are not involved by the cancer.
• Chest x-rays and abdomen x-ray—a test that uses radiation to take pictures of structures inside the body
• Intravenous pyelogram—an x-ray of the kidneys and ureters after injection of contrast dye into the blood
• Renal angiography—an x-ray of arteries that are leading to a possible kidney tumor
• CT scan—a type of x-ray that uses a computer to make pictures of the inside of the kidneys and the surrounding area
• MRI scan—a test that uses magnetic waves to make pictures of the inside of the kidneys and the surrounding area
• Renal ultrasound—a test that uses sound waves to examine the kidneys
• Laparoscopy—a thin, lighted tube inserted through a small incision in the abdomen to look at the kidney
• Cytoscopy—examination of the bladder, ureters, and kidneys via a thin tube inserted through the urethra
• Biopsy—removal of a sample of kidney tissue to test for cancer cells