Common and lesser known symptoms of kidney cancer

Symptoms of kidney cancer

Haematuria

A lump or mass on the lower backside:

Pain

Weight loss and loss of appetite

Diagnosis of Kidney cancer

(Dr Shital Munde, Doctor in-charge and Consultant – Histopathologist, Global Reference Laboratory, Metropolis Healthcare Limited)

Simple lifestyle changes to avoid kidney stones

Kidney Cancer is an abnormal growth in the kidney which results in its enlargement and mass formation. Currently, new cases of kidney cancer reported globally are more than 4,00,000 per year and these are Growing at a rate of 2%. According to the Global Cancer Observatory India (GLOBOCAN) fact sheet the incidence of Kidney cancers is 1.2% in India.Kidney cancers are commonly observed in older age groups; however, certain types are also seen in children who are less than 5 years. Compared to women men are two times more prone to this cancer. The most common type of Kidney Cancer is Renal Cell Carcinoma accounting for 90% of the cases.In the early stages of kidney cancer, there may not be any symptoms but as the cancer grows the symptoms will start appearing.: The most common symptom seen is blood in the urine, is Haematuria, in which the color of urine will change from clear pale yellow to pink or dark brown. The person may also experience an increased frequency of passing urine. Though this symptom is most common, it is not a specific or sure sign of cancer as it can also be seen with other conditions, this an alarming symptom, and one should consult the doctor to investigate furtherIf the person feels a lump or heaviness on the either side of flank along with feeling of something getting stretched inside then he/she should get alarmed as it is a common symptom with kidney cancer which are large in size.: Pain between the ribs and waist and around the back can be a sign of kidney cancer. The pain is usually dull, and it does not go away. Pain, though non-specific, but with a lump in the flank and blood in urine, forms a classical triad of kidney cancer symptoms.Kidney cancers in children are less known but they can show similar symptoms as in adults and present with a mass in the abdomen along with blood in urine.The patient may suffer from sudden unintentional weight loss and lack of appetite with continuous feeling of tiredness and fatigue. This can happen as the cancers are known to alter the hunger signals and they utilize more energy to grow fast. The patient may also experience low-grade fever for weeks along with the above symptoms.There are lesser-known symptoms of kidney cancer, which include high blood pressure as the growing tumor affects the kidney function of blood pressure regularisation. This may also result in swelling of the legs and ankles.Sometimes advanced kidney tumors can spread to other organs, which we call it metastasis and the patient may present with symptoms related to that organ, like bone pain or breathlessness in cases of lung involvement.If a patient catches the symptoms early, then with the help of current advancements in the medical field kidney cancer can be detected in the initial stages. Various modalities like ultrasound, Computed Tomography (CT) scan, Biopsy, blood and urine examination and PET scan are important to identify and for the staging of the tumor. Usually, kidney tumors are treated with the removal of the mass with the whole or part of the kidney.From basic blood tests to advanced biopsy and molecular tests are helpful in the detection and management of Kidney cancerA person knows their body best so any deviation from the routine and normal health should be alarming. Regular interval health checkups and visits to doctors also help in detection of kidney cancer in early stages leading to proper treatment and disease-free survival.