Symptoms of Kidney Cancer

What Are the Most Common Symptoms of Kidney Cancer?

Symptoms of kidney cancer do not usually appear in the early stages of the disease. When symptoms of kidney cancer do appear, they affect different individuals in different ways, but generally include

• anemia,
• blood in the urine,
• chronic flank pain,
• elevated blood pressure or hypertension
• fatigue
• fevers,
• loss of appetite,
• malaise,
• night sweats,
• weight loss.

As the disease progresses, the individual may begin to notice a growing flank mass as the cancer grows larger and starts to crowd other organs and tissues.

Kidney cancer accounts for about 85% of kidney related cancers. It is in fact the most common form of kidney cancer that affects adults. The most common type is known as renal cell carcinoma. More than 30,000 individuals are diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma each year.

Risk Factors

Kidney cancer risk factors are not the same as kidney cancer symptoms, but anyone in the following groups would be considered to be at higher risk for kidney cancer.

• smokers
• obese persons (women seem to be at a higher risk than men)
• those who work near or are exposed to petroleum products, asbestos, heavy metals, coke-oven emissions and certain kinds of solvents.

Other risk factors for kidney cancer include tuberous sclerosis, family history of cancer (especially renal cancer), Von Hippel-Lindau disease, cystic kidney disease that is associated with chronic renal insufficiency and cystic changes in kidney dialysis.