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Cancer - renal pelvis or ureter

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Transitional cell cancer of the renal pelvis or ureter

Symptoms:

• Back pain , located where ribs and spine meet
• Bloody urine
• Burning, pain, or discomfort with urination
• Dark, rust-colored, or brown urine
• Fatigue
• Flank pain
• Need to urinate frequently at night
• Unintentional weight loss
• Urinary frequency or urgency
• Urinary hesitancy

Signs and tests:

A physician will examine the abdomen by touch, but it rarely reveals a mass or an enlarged kidney. The patient may have blood in the urine. A complete blood count ( CBC ) may show anemia .

Cancer cells may appear on the following tests:

• Urine cytology (microscopic examination of cells) obtained during a cystoscopy
• Urine cytology obtained from a urine sample

The tumor, or signs of urinary obstruction , may appear on:

• Intravenous pyelogram (IVP)
• Kidney ultrasound
• Abdominal CT scan
• MRI of abdomen
• Renal scan

An x-ray, CT scan, or MRI of other areas of the body may show that the cancer has spread from the kidneys.

• Review Date: 9/11/2006
• Reviewed By: Rita Nanda, M.D., Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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