Kidney cancer

Most people with kidney cancer have no symptoms. They are often diagnosed with kidney cancer when they have a scan or X-ray that their doctor ordered for another health problem.

When kidney cancer does cause symptoms, they can include:

• blood in the urine or changes in urine colour to dark, rusty or brown (haematuria)
• pain in lower back or one side which is not due to an injury
• pain or lump in the abdomen or side
• weight loss
• constant tiredness
• newly developed high blood pressure
• fever or night sweats which are not linked with any other conditions.

Some of these symptoms can also be caused by other illness, such as a urine infection or a muscle twinge. So, if you experience any of these symptoms it does not necessarily mean you have kidney cancer. However, always talk to your doctor if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.

Your doctor will use different tests to diagnose and get more information about what type of kidney cancer you have. The tests can be divided into blood and urine tests, imaging, tissue biopsy (a small piece of tissue is removed for testing and examination under a microscope) and cystoscopy (an investigation where a special viewing camera is inserted via the urethra into the bladder). The tests you have will depend on your particular situation.

The results of your tests give information about:

• the exact subtype of kidney cancer – how the cancer cells look under a microscope and other features
• the grade of kidney cancer – how abnormal the cells are and how fast they may grow
• the stage of kidney cancer – how large the cancer is and how far it has spread.

The stages of kidney cancer are:

• Stage 1-2 – Localised (where the cancer has not spread beyond the local kidney)
• Stage 3 – Locally advanced (where the cancer has spread to tissues near the kidney)
• Stage 4 – Advanced (where the cancer has spread to other organs in the body).

For more information, see our types of kidney cancer fact sheet.

Worldwide, more than 100,000 people die of kidney cancer each year. More than 3000 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer in Australia each year.

If you’re over the age of 55, you have a 1 in 69 risk of developing kidney cancer before you reach 85. You’re also twice as likely to develop kidney cancer if you're male. The disease is rarely seen in children.

Survival from kidney cancer has increased greatly over time. Improved outcomes are due largely to increases in the detection and survival of early-stage renal cell carcinoma, the most common form of kidney cancer.