Kidney cancer is usually diagnosed using a combination of Ultrasound, CT, and MRI scans, along with a careful history, physical exam, blood tests, and urine tests. Once cancer is diagnosed, the tumour needs to be carefully staged to determine the most appropriate kidney tumour treatment.
Labs and Tests for Kidney Tumour Treatment
Urine test –
Complete Blood Count-
Liver Function Test, Calcium–
- Size of tumour
- Spread to lymph nodes
- Spread to other organs
- Function of other kidney
Cystoscopy and Nephro-Ureteroscopy
CECT Chest and Bone scan
- Renal (kidney) cysts: Cysts can often be differentiated with an ultrasound.
- Angiomyolipomas: This can be differentiated from kidney cancer during a CT scan (due to the presence of fat). These are benign tumors.
- Oncocytomas: These are also usually differentiated based on CT findings. These benign tumors can sometimes closely mimic kidney cancer on imaging studies.
- Renal adenomas: These are benign tumors that are frequently an incidental finding on imaging tests.
- Adrenal tumors: The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and usually be differentiated on imaging.
- Renal abscess: An abscess is a walled-off infection.
- Kidney metastases: Different cancers can spread to the kidneys. This also produces multiple small spots instead of a giant tumor. Lung cancer, breast cancer, cancer of the liver, melanoma, and other kidney cancers may have cancer spreading to the kidney.
- Renal infarct: The loss of blood flow leads to an infarct. It’s like a renal heart attack. And may also present as a mass in the imaging of the dead tissue (necrotic tissue).
- Sarcomas: These are rare cancers that start in the kidney-circling soft tissue.