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What Is a Mass on a Kidney?

There are several types of masses, or growths, that can form on the kidneys. These include various kinds of cysts, as well as both benign and malignant tumors. Some aren’t serious. Others are very serious and even life threatening.

  1. Small Cysts

    • These fluid-filled sacs usually don’t cause any symptoms and don’t require any treatment. They’re very common. About half of all folks older than 50 have one of these small cysts, according to the Mayo Clinic.

    Polycystic Kidney Disease

    • This very serious condition is characterized by the growth of numerous cysts on the kidneys. This genetic disease causes the kidneys to greatly enlarge. In about 50 percent of cases, the kidneys fail. When this happens, dialysis or a kidney transplant is required.

    Multicystic Renal Dysplasia

    • This disease develops in infants when they are still in the womb. It is marked by numerous cysts, usually on only one kidney. Babies whose dysplasia is unilateral usually don’t have any health problems related to the disease since the other kidney compensates.

    Benign Tumors

    • The kidneys can develop a few types of solid, non-cancerous masses, including adenomas, oncocytomas and angiomyolipomas. Adenomas are usually small, whereas oncocytomas can become very large. Angiomyolipomas are rare.

    Kidney Cancer

    • Some of the symptoms of kidney cancer include blood in the urine, lower back pain or a lump on one side that isn’t caused by injury, persistent fever and unexplained weight loss. People can survive kidney cancer if it’s discovered early, according to the American Cancer Society. Localized kidney cancer has a relatively high five-year survival rate of 96 percent.

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