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Up to 93% of kidney cancers can be cured if they are found early. But once cancer spreads outside the kidney, it is much harder to treat. That’s why it’s important to bring up any concerning symptoms to your primary care provider (PCP) so you can be tested, if needed.
Kidney Cancer Care Tailored to You
You and your family are our top priority. At Fred Hutch Cancer Center, we offer comprehensive and compassionate care — personalized to you. You'll have access to the latest treatment options, clinical trials and supportive care services.
Screening Tests for Kidney Cancer
There is no screening test for kidney cancer for people of average risk. Blood in the urine or a lump in the abdomen are usually the first signs.
To actually diagnose kidney cancer, you will need a biopsy. This means taking a tissue sample, like a small piece of a tumor, for testing. A pathologist, who is a physician who specializes in checking tissue samples, examines cells in a lab to see if they are cancer. Fred Hutch pathologists are experts in diagnosing kidney cancers.
Diagnostic Tests for Kidney Cancer
These methods help diagnose kidney cancer and determine if the cancer has spread.
- Ultrasound exam: Uses high-energy sound waves (ultrasound) that bounce off internal tissues or organs and make echoes. The echoes form a picture of body tissues called a sonogram.
- Blood chemistry studies: Use a blood sample to measure the amounts of certain substances released into the blood by organs and tissues in the body. An unusual (higher or lower than normal) amount of a substance can be a sign of disease.
- Urinalysis: Checks the color of urine and its contents, such as sugar, protein, red blood cells and white blood cells.
- CT scan: Uses a computer linked to an X-ray machine to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, such as the abdomen and pelvis. The pictures are taken from different angles and are used to create 3-D views of tissues and organs. A dye may be injected into a vein or swallowed to help the organs or tissues show up more clearly. This procedure is also called computed tomography, computerized tomography or computerized axial tomography.
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): Uses a magnet, radio waves and a computer to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body. This procedure is also called nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI).
- Biopsy: The removal of cells or tissues so they can be viewed under a microscope by a pathologist to check for signs of cancer. To do a biopsy for renal cell cancer, a thin needle is inserted into the tumor and a sample of tissue is withdrawn. A biopsy may not be needed if the imaging test results provide enough information to make a diagnosis.
- Chest X-ray: A type of radiation that can go through the body and make pictures of organs and bones inside the chest.
- Bone scan: A procedure to check if there are rapidly dividing cells, such as cancer cells, in the bone. A very small amount of radioactive material is injected into a vein and travels through the bloodstream. The radioactive material collects in the bones that have cancer and is detected by a scanner.
Fred Hutch Expertise in Kidney Cancer Diagnosis
Fred Hutch has experts in testing for and diagnosing kidney cancers. They include experienced urologic oncologists, medical oncologists and pathologists. If you have cancer, we have the latest technologies to find out as much about your disease as possible. That’s key to making a treatment plan that will get the best results for you.
We also have our Kidney Cancer Multispecialty Clinic (KCMC). At this clinic, a team of physicians come together to plan care for people with kidney cancer. During a single visit, you get a second opinion from an entire group of physicians. They include medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and pathologists.
You can talk with kidney cancer experts who understand your disease and treatment options in greater depth than oncologists in your local community. We will share information with your local physicians based on your wishes and be a resource for you and them.
Fred Hutch researchers are always looking for better ways to treat kidney cancer. We are doing clinical trials of new drugs and drug combinations to treat different types of kidney tumors. Our scientists are also developing new methods to tell which tumors are likely to respond best to which treatments.
Learn more about kidney cancer research.