Kidney Cancer: Symptoms, Types & Early Detection

Renal cancer, also called kidney cancer, is a serious health condition involving the development of cancer cells in a patient's kidney. According to the American Cancer Society, about 51,000 individuals in the United States are diagnosed with renal cancer every year.

• Human Kidney

Types

• The most common type of renal cancer in adults is renal cell carcinoma, which affects the cells of the tubes within the kidneys. Another common cancer is transitional cell carcinoma, which develops in the tissues that connect the kidneys with the bladder.

Early Stages

• Renal cancer typically doesn't cause any symptoms during its early stages of development.

Common Symptoms

• The most common signs of renal cancer include lower back pain, blood in the urine, weight loss, fatigue and recurrent fever.

Less Common Symptoms

• Less common symptoms of renal cancer include swollen legs and ankles, anemia and abdominal swelling.

Other Symptoms

• Rare renal cancer symptoms include excessive hair growth in females, vision abnormalities, cold intolerance and varicocele, which occurs when the veins around a testicle enlarge.

Complications

• Renal cancer can raise red blood cell counts, calcium levels and blood pressure levels. This cancer occasionally causes the liver to function abnormally.