Friday, February, 10, 2012

Renal cell carcinoma

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Renal cancer; Kidney cancer; Hypernephroma; Adenocarcinoma of renal cells; Cancer - kidney


Symptoms
  • Abdominal pain
  • Back pain
  • Blood in the urine
  • Enlargement of the veins around a testicle (varicocele)
  • Flank pain
  • Swelling or enlargement of the abdomen
  • Unintentional weight loss

Other symptoms that can occur with this disease:

  • Constipation
  • Cold intolerance
  • Excessive hair growth in females
  • Pallor
  • Vision abnormalities

Sometimes both kidneys are involved. The cancer spreads easily, most often to the lungs and other organs. In about one-third of patients, the cancer has already spread (metastasized) at the time of diagnosis.


Signs and tests

Examination of the abdomen may show a mass or organ enlargement, particularly of the kidney or liver. Men may have a varicocele in the scrotum (a varicocele that is only on the right side is especially suspicious).

Tests include:

  • Abdominal CT scan
  • Blood chemistry
  • Complete blood count (CBC)
  • Intravenous pyelogram (IVP)
  • Liver function tests
  • Renal arteriography
  • Ultrasound of the abdomen and kidney
  • Urinalysis and urine cytology

The following tests may be performed to see if the cancer has spread:

  • Abdominal CT scan
  • Abdominal MRI
  • Bone scan
  • Chest x-ray
  • PET scan


Review Date: 03/02/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)