What symptoms may be early signs of kidney cancer

Kidney cancer accounts for 2% to 3% of all human cancers. Common benign kidney tumors include renal adenoma, structural tumor, renal hemangioma, juxtaglomerular cell tumor and renal cyst. Renal malignant cancers are more common in renal cell carcinoma, renal pelvic cancer and nephroblastoma. According to statistics, nearly 90% of kidney cancers are malignant. Early detection of kidney cancer is crucial to the treatment and recovery of patients. The following symptoms may be early signs of kidney cancer.

(1) Increased blood pressure. About 40% of patients with renal cancer have hypertension, usually above 20.0/12.0 kPa (150/90 mmHg). Currently, there are three types of cancers that can be confirmed to secrete renin autonomously: juxtaglomerular cell tumor, nephroblastoma, and renal cell carcinoma. Sometimes hypertension can be the only manifestation of renal cancer. Patients who have increased blood pressure in a short period of time should also be particularly alert to whether it is caused by renal cancer.

(2) Hematuria. The most common sign of early renal cancer is hematuria, which can usually be found under a microscope and is not accompanied by pain. Hematuria visible to the naked eye only appears in the late stage of renal cancer. In the early stage, there will be painless hematuria, which is intermittent. Hematuria often occurs suddenly and there is no obvious external factor. Waist pain occurs only when the cancer invades the peripheral nerve tissue of the kidney. The best way to diagnose renal cancer is X-ray examination, such as abdominal plain film, retroperitoneal pneumatic angiography, urinary tract venography or retrograde angiography, renal artery angiography, etc.

(3) Fever. Among the early symptoms of kidney cancer, fever is an early signal that cannot be ignored. If middle-aged and elderly people have unexplained fever, especially when they have painless macroscopic hematuria, they should go to the hospital for examination and diagnosis in time.

(4) Varicocele. Some patients with early renal cancer may have left-sided varicocele, and the varicose vein will not disappear when the patient lies flat, so it is called a "specific sign of left renal cancer." The reason is that the cancer blocks the left renal vein or compresses the left internal spermatic vein, causing blood congestion. In addition, anemia, significant increase in white blood cells, increased blood calcium, hypoglycemia, etc. may all be early symptoms of renal cancer.

Because malignant kidney cancer metastasizes early and the symptoms are often atypical, annual health checks are necessary. A kidney ultrasound can detect kidney cancer early. Early surgical removal of the cancer has a good prognosis.