12 Known Kidney Cancer Symptoms

The kidneys are bean shaped organs that are about the size of your fist. They are located behind the organs in your abdominal area, one kidney on each side. Renal cell carcinoma is the most common form of kidney cancer among adults and  Wilms’ tumor is a type of kidney cancer that is most likely to affect children. There are several other types of kidney cancers as well. The cases of kidney cancer seem to be on the rise.

One of the reasons for this may be because of CT scans being used more often as these tests can lead to the accidental discovery of different types of kidney cancers. In many cases, kidney cancer is found early and the tumors are small and confined to just the kidneys. This makes it easier to treat. Here are some of the most common symptoms of kidney cancer to watch out for.

1. Hematuria

One of the more common symptoms of kidney cancer is hematuria, which refers to finding blood in the urine.  Noticing blood in the urine can be quite alarming. This is typically a sign that there is something not right going on within the body. Blood in the urine caused by kidney cancer is often quite visible, painless, and will come and go.

In fact, many people who have kidney cancer will notice blood in their urine for a day or two and then it will go away. The blood in the urine then comes back in a few days or at times even weeks later. With kidney cancer, blood is often present throughout the entire urination process. This acts as a clue that something is wrong, but is not a hard and fast rule that a person has kidney cancer. At times, blood is not seen by the naked eye, but is picked up through a urine sample using a microscope.