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Renal cell carcinoma - Symptom

Alternative Names

Renal cancer; Kidney cancer; Hypernephroma; Adenocarcinoma of renal cells; Cancer - kidney

Symptoms:

Abdominal pain and swelling
Back pain
Blood in the urine
Swelling of the veins around a testicle (varicocele)
Flank pain
Weight loss

Other symptoms that can occur with this disease:

Signs and tests:

The health care provider will perform a physical exam. This may reveal:

Mass or swelling of the abdomen
A varicocele in the male scrotum

Tests include:

Abdominal CT scan
Blood chemistry
Complete blood count (CBC)
Intravenous pyelogram (IVP)
Liver function tests
Renal arteriography
Ultrasound of the abdomen and kidney
Urine tests

The following tests may be done to see if the cancer has spread:

Kidney anatomy

Kidney tumor - CT scan

Kidney metastases, CT scan

Kidney - blood and urine flow

Reviewed last on: 2/28/2011
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Barjorin D. Tumors of the kidney, bladder, ureters, and renal pelvis. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 2007.

National Comprehensive Cancer Network. National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Kidney Cancer. 2011. Version 1.2011.

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