Kidney Cancer Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Staging

Can kidney cancer be found early?

Early kidney cancer might not cause any symptoms. Symptoms often don’t happen until the cancer is large or has spread.

There are no recommended screening tests for people at average risk of kidney cancer.

But kidney cancers are sometimes found early, before symptoms develop. This can happen when a person gets imaging or other tests for a different reason.

For people at average risk of kidney cancer

In some cases, kidney cancer is found by accident during:

• Urine tests. Kidney cancer might be diagnosed after a routine urine test (urinalysis) shows small amounts of blood in the urine. When blood is found, additional tests are needed to find a cause.
• Imaging tests. Imaging tests done for another reason, such as CT scans and MRI, can also find small kidney cancers early on.

These tests are not routinely recommended for screening, in part because they can be time-consuming and expensive. Additionally, diagnosing an abnormal area found on an imaging test often involves more testing, such as a biopsy. This could lead to extra testing and worry that is not needed.

At this time, it’s not clear that the benefits of screening for kidney cancer with any of these tests would outweigh the possible downsides.

For people at increased risk of kidney cancer

Kidney cancers found early might have a better outlook. Experts may recommend screening tests for people at high risk.

This includes people with certain inherited conditions, such as:

• Von Hippel-Lindau disease
• Hereditary papillary renal carcinoma
• Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma
• Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome
• Paraganglioma-pheochromocytoma syndromes
• Cowden syndrome
• BAP1 tumor predisposition syndrome
• Tuberous sclerosis

Doctors often recommend that people with these conditions get regular physical exams, possibly along with MRI, CT, or ultrasound scans. The recommended age to start screening depends on the condition and any kidney tumors that might already be present.

If you have a family or personal history of kidney cancer with certain features, your healthcare team may recommend genetic testing to see if you have one of these conditions.

If you have kidney disease treated with long-term dialysis, some doctors also recommend regular tests to look for kidney cancer.

What are the signs and symptoms of kidney cancer?

Many kidney cancers do not cause symptoms early on.

As a kidney tumor grows, signs and symptoms might include:

• Blood in the urine
• A swelling or mass on the side or lower back
• Back or belly pain
• Weight loss

It is important to see a healthcare provider if you develop any of these signs and symptoms. They can find a cause and treat it, if needed.

How is kidney cancer diagnosed?

If your signs or symptoms suggest kidney cancer, or if an abnormal area is found on an imaging test, your healthcare team will do more tests to find out for sure.

If you are diagnosed with kidney cancer, your care team may order more tests to figure out the exact type and stage of your cancer. This could include a biopsy, imaging, or other tests.

Stages and prognostic factors for kidney cancer

After you are diagnosed with kidney cancer, your care team will use information about your tumor’s stage (extent) to decide the best treatment for you. They might also use other prognostic factors to help decide on treatment.

Outlook for kidney cancer

Survival rates are a way to measure how many people survive a certain type of cancer over time. Some people find this information helpful. Other people prefer to focus more on treatment plans and next steps.