|
Many kidney cancers are found fairly early, while they are
still confined to the kidney. But others are found at a more advanced
stage. There are a few reasons for this:
- These cancers can sometimes become quite large without
causing any pain or other problems.
- Because the kidneys are deep inside the body, small kidney
tumors cannot be seen or felt during a physical exam.
- There are no reliable screening tests for kidney cancer in
people who are not at increased risk.
A routine urine test (urinalysis), which is sometimes part of
a complete medical checkup, may find small amounts of blood in the
urine of some people with early renal cell cancer. But there are many
other causes of blood in the urine, including urinary tract infections,
bladder infections, bladder cancer, and benign (non-cancerous) kidney
conditions such as kidney stones. On the other hand, some people with
kidney cancer do not have blood in their urine until the cancer is
quite large and may have spread to other parts of the body.
Imaging tests such as computed tomography (CT) scans and
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans can find small renal cell
carcinomas. But these tests are expensive and cannot always tell benign
tumors from small renal cell carcinomas.
For these reasons, doctors generally recommend CT and MRI for
early detection of kidney cancer only in people who have certain risk
factors, such as von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease or other inherited
conditions. Some doctors also recommend that people with kidney
diseases treated by long-term dialysis have periodic tests (CT or MRI
scans) to look for kidney cancer.
Ultrasound is less expensive and may also detect early kidney
cancer. However, to recommend screening tests for people without risk
factors or symptoms of a cancer, studies have to show the test improves
survival. No imaging tests screening for kidney cancer have done this.
Often, kidney cancers are found incidentally during tests for
some other illness such as gallbladder disease. These cancers usually
are causing no pain or discomfort when they are discovered. The
survival rate for kidney cancer found this way is very high because
these cancers are usually found at a very early stage.
Genetic tests for inherited conditions
linked to kidney cancer
It is important to tell your doctor if family members (blood
relatives) have or had kidney cancer, especially at a younger age, or
if they have been diagnosed with an inherited condition linked to this
cancer, such as VHL disease. Your doctor may recommend that you
consider genetic testing. Only people who have clinical signs of these
conditions or blood relatives with these clinical signs are genetically
tested for these conditions.
Before having genetic tests, it's important to talk with a
genetic counselor so that you understand what the tests can -- and
can't -- tell you, and what any results would mean. Genetic tests look
for the gene mutations that cause these conditions in your DNA. They
are used to diagnose these inherited conditions, not kidney cancer
itself. Your risk may be increased if you have one of these conditions,
but it does not mean that you have (or definitely will get) kidney
cancer. For more information on genetic testing, see the separate
document, Genetic Testing: What You Need
to Know.
If you have been diagnosed with one of these conditions, you
may need frequent CT or MRI scans to look for early kidney cancer.
Last Medical Review: 02/18/2009
Last Revised: 05/14/2009
|
