Kidney Cancer

Diagnosis

Mayo Clinic physicians often detect kidney tumors well before symptoms occur, thanks to a combination of incidental discovery during other procedures and advancements in imaging technologies.

Mayo Clinic care teams use a combination of methods to determine the presence of kidney cancer and how far it has progressed, such as obtaining a medical history, conducting a physical examination, and evaluating the results of urine and blood tests. Mayo physicians may also order one or more of the following tests:

• CT scans create a computer-generated two-dimensional image of the kidney and surrounding tissue, providing greater detail than conventional X-rays.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a magnetic field and radio waves to generate cross-sectional pictures of the body.
• Ultrasound uses a wandlike device (transducer) to send and receive high-frequency sound waves that are translated into images of internal organs.
• Intravenous pyelogram (IVP) or renal angiography procedures require injecting contrast dye into a vein to create a series of images of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder.
• Radionuclide imaging uses radioisotopes which are introduced into the bloodstream before kidney images are taken. Cancer cells appear on the images because they attract more radioisotopes than do normal cells.
• Needle biopsy is a minimally invasive tissue sampling technique that can confirm the presence of kidney cancer in some cases.
• Cystoscopy can determine if cancer has spread to the bladder. To conduct this test, physicians insert a telescope containing a light and lens through the urethra into the bladder.

When Mayo Clinic physicians detect kidney cancer, they begin a staging process that reveals whether the cancer has progressed, and to what extent. Staging may require patients to undergo additional blood tests and imaging procedures. The health of the patient's second kidney is also determined.