Signs and Symptoms of Kidney Cancer

Symptoms of kidney cancer rarely present themselves in the cancer's early stages, but in most cases, the cancer is still small in size by the time it is diagnosed. Later in the cancer's development, signs and symptoms begin developing. Some of these symptoms have long been the standard for kidney cancer's earliest warning signs, though with advances in modern medicine and imaging technology, other signs are now detectable.

Bloody Urine

• One of the most distinctive signs of kidney cancer is blood in your urine. This can be an almost negligible amount or a heavy amount---in any case, it is medically known as hematuria. Blood may turn urine a pink, red or rust color. In other cases, there may be so little blood in the urine it is not visible to the naked eye---a routine urinalysis can detect minuscule amounts of blood in the urine.

Back Pain

• Back pain is indicative of any number of conditions, but kidney cancer causes back pain in a specific area. This pain is in the "flank," the part of your body where the ribs meet the spine. Temporary or intermittent back pain, even in the flank, is not necessarily a symptom of kidney cancer---pain that does not go away, however, is a warning sign.

Growth or Mass

• A doctor can perform an examination for any growths or lumps in the kidney area. Though this process was once conducted simply by feeling for lumps from the outside, doctors can now use sonograms to locate potential tumors and masses. Other tests, such as an MRI, can give an even better view of any growth and help doctors determine whether or not it may be cancerous.

Other Symptoms

• Kidney cancer can present itself in other ways, though these are less conclusive and may indicate other, less serious problems, such as infections or cysts. Fatigue, fever, weight loss, high blood pressure, anemia and night sweats are potential signs and symptoms.