Kidney Cancer Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatments

Kidney cancer is a malignant tumour of the kidneys, which are two large bean-shaped organs located in the mid-back, just below the rib cage. The main job of the kidneys is to filter waste products from the blood and remove liquid waste, in the form of urine, from the body.

How Common is Kidney Cancer in Ireland?

According to the Irish Cancer Society, about 650 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer each year in Ireland. It is more common in people over age 40.

What Are Some Kidney Cancer Risk Factors?

Studies have indicated that people who have kidney disease have a higher risk of developing kidney cancer. Other risk factors include:

A family history of kidney cancer.
Being overweight.
Having high blood pressure and/or diabetes.
Having kidney stones and/or chronic kidney disease.
Having thyroid cancer.
Rare genetic conditions.

What are Symptoms of Kidney Cancer?

Blood in the urine is the most common sign of kidney cancer, however, it can also be a symptom of other less serious conditions. Other symptoms may include:

Anemia. This condition involves a deficiency of red blood cells.
Fatigue. Feeling weak and lethargic.
Fever and/or night sweats. A common symptom of kidney cancer is a prolonged fever of more than 38degrees Celsius. This type of fever doesn’t result from an infection.
Loss of appetite. This may or may or may not result in weight loss.
Low back pain. You may feel pain on only one or both sides of your back, just under the rib cage. Pain is unlikely to go away when you shift your body or rest. This pain can feel similar to the pain that occurs when kidney stones block urine drainage from the kidney.
A mass or lump on the side or lower back. You can feel this swelling below your rib cage. It may present as a bulging bump beneath your skin.
Unintentional weight loss.

Many of these symptoms are similar to other, less serious conditions. Getting a correct diagnosis is vital. When kidney cancer is found and treated early, the chances of survival are very good.

How is Kidney Cancer Diagnosed?

Your GP will ask about your health history and do a physical exam. If they suspect you have kidney cancer, tests will be ordered which may include:

Urinalysis: Your urine will be tested to see if it contains blood or cancer cells.
Blood chemistry tests: These tests show how well the kidneys are working.
Complete blood count: People with kidney cancer often have low red blood cell counts.
Ultrasound: A painless test where soundwaves will reveal pictures of your kidneys. At an ultrasound, a consultant can also get a biopsy of any suspicious tumour.
Kidney biopsy: A small sample of tissue is taken from the tumour. Sometimes this is the only way to tell if a tumour is cancerous.
Chest x-ray: Will show if cancer has spread to the lungs.
CT scan: Special x-rays that take detailed pictures of organs to see if cancer has spread.
MRI scan: Radio waves and magnets take pictures of soft tissue to see if cancer has spread.

How is Kidney Cancer Treated?

There are many options for treating kidney cancer, including:

Surgery (robotic, laparoscopic, or open).
Thermal ablation.
Radiotherapy.
Targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or a combination of these treatments.

Surgery to remove all or part of the kidney is the main treatment and offers the highest success rate. Smaller kidney tumours can very often be removed in a procedure called a partial nephrectomy, in which the surgeon removes only the cancerous part of the kidney and leaves the rest of the kidney in place.

When the cancer is aggressive or involves a large part of the kidney, a radical nephrectomy may be required. In this procedure, the entire kidney is removed, as well as the adrenal gland, which sits at the top of the kidney.

Make an Appointment

If you have concerns about your urological health or are experiencing symptoms associated with kidney cancer, please contact your GP, and ask for a referral to one of our urology consultants at the following UPMC locations: