Kidney Cancer

In the United States, kidney cancer represents 3% of all cancers, striking 30,000 people annually and killing 12,000 people a year. You risk of kidney cancer is higher if you:

• Smoke cigarettes

• Are obese

• Have had prolonged exposure to asbestos, cadmium or petroleum products (People who work closely with blast-furnaces or "coke-ovens," iron and steel products, dry-cleaning solvents, and gasoline may be at increased risk.)

• Have a family history of kidney cancer

• Have undergone long-term dialysis treatment

• Are between age 50 and 70

• Have tuberous sclerosis, a disease characterized by multiple bumps on the skin caused by small tumors of the blood vessels

Symptoms

Most kidney cancers grow without causing any pain or discomfort. Some kidney cancers are discovered before they begin to cause symptoms. When symptoms develop, renal cell carcinoma can cause an unusually wide variety of symptoms that may not seem obviously related to the kidney. This type of tumor commonly spreads into nearby veins, so it can cause congestion or blockages within the veins. The tumor can also manufacture too much of one or more hormones that are made within the kidney. Symptoms can result from the kidney lump itself, from vein blockage, or from hormonal or chemical effects from the cancer on the body. Some symptoms include:

• Blood in the urine (hematuria)

• Abdominal pain

• An abnormal lump or swelling (mass) in the flank or abdomen

• A constant tired feeling (fatigue)

• Weight loss

• Unexplained fever

• Enlarged lymph nodes

• In men, a collection of enlarged veins in the scrotum (called a varicocele)

• High blood pressure that is not easily controlled

• Breathing difficulty or leg pain caused by blood clots

• Swelling of the abdomen due to accumulated fluid ("ascites")

• Bones that break easily