Health Watch: Wellness, Research & Healthy Living Tips
- Blood in the urine (hematuria) can be an early warning sign and warrants prompt evaluation.
- Flank or lower back pain on one side may indicate a growing kidney tumor.
- Unexplained weight loss or an abdominal lump can signal more advanced disease.
- Incidental detection on imaging is common; many kidney cancers are found during scans for other issues.
What are the first signs of kidney cancer?
Early kidney cancer often causes no symptoms at all. When symptoms do appear, they can include blood in the urine, pain on the side of the lower back or a lump in the abdomen.
Can kidney cancer be cured?
Yes, kidney cancer is often cured, especially when found early. Treatment includes surgery, ablation, chemotherapy or medications, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which work by blocking key proteins in cancer cells.
What is the difference between benign and cancerous kidney symptoms?
Benign kidney masses often cause no symptoms because they are typically found by accident on imaging that was ordered for something else. Cancerous tumors are more likely to cause symptoms such as weight loss, blood in the urine, flank pain or abdominal masses.
Does kidney cancer always cause pain?
No, kidney cancer does not always cause pain, as the majority of kidney cancers do not cause any symptoms at all in their early stages. Pain is usually present once the kidney tumor grows large enough to obstruct the kidneys or has spread to other organs in the body.
Can a UTI be a sign of kidney cancer?
The symptoms of UTIs and kidney cancer can overlap.
“Some patients with blood in the urine are treated repeatedly for a UTI when the real source of their bleeding is a tumor in the kidney or tumor in the bladder,” Jayram says.
How is kidney cancer usually found?
Most patients with kidney cancer are found “accidentally” when they present with other, unrelated symptoms, Jayram says.
“Typically, patients undergo abdominal imaging for symptoms such as abdominal pain, gastrointestinal complaints or musculoskeletal issues,” he adds.
What is the best hospital to treat kidney cancer?
U.S. News evaluated nearly 886 hospitals for cancer treatment and ranked the top 50 that treat cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, melanoma, breast, kidney, colon, prostate, pancreatic, head and neck, orthopedic, uterine and ovarian cancers. Check out the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals for Cancer to learn more.
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