Symptoms - Kidney cancer

In many cases, there are no obvious symptoms of kidney cancer at first and it may only be found during tests for another condition or reason.

Symptoms are often similar to those of less serious conditions, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) or kidney stones.

Symptoms can include:

• blood in your pee – you may notice your pee is darker than usual or reddish in colour
• a persistent pain in your lower back or side, just below your ribs
• a lump or swelling in your side (although kidney cancer is often too small to feel)
• extreme tiredness
• loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss
• persistent high blood pressure (hypertension)
• a high temperature
• night sweats
• in men, swelling of the veins in the testicles
• swollen glands in your neck
• bone pain
• coughing up blood

Some of these symptoms only happen when the cancer is advanced and has spread to other parts of the body, such as the bones or lungs.

When to get medical advice

See a GP if you have symptoms of kidney cancer.

Although it's unlikely you have cancer, it's important to get your symptoms checked.

The GP may sometimes need to refer you for tests in hospital to find out what the problem is.