Kidney Cancer: Symptoms, Signs, Causes & Treatment
The kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs located in the back of the abdomen. They filter blood and remove wastes. When kidney cancer is found at an early stage, it is often treated with surgery, depending on the tumour's size and location. A partial nephrectomy may be performed if the tumour is small and confined to one area of the kidney. Radical nephrectomy removes the entire kidney, surrounding tissue, and nearby lymph nodes. What is kidney cancer? Kidney cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the kidney. There are two main types of kidney cancer: renal cell carcinoma and transitional cell carcinoma. Renal cell carcinoma is the most common type of kidney cancer. Transitional cell carcinoma makes up a small percentage of kidney cancers. Symptoms of kidney cancer Most kidney cancers do not cause any symptoms in the early stages. The most common symptom is blood in the urine ( hematuria ). However, this can also be a symptom of other conditions and is not n