Is Blood In Urine A Sign Of Kidney Cancer? Expert Answers

Improved results depend on being aware of kidney cancer's initial symptoms and warning indications. Hematuria, or blood in the urine, is one of the most typical symptoms of kidney cancer. The patient should be concerned if they find blood in their urine because there are typically no additional complaints, no pain, and no discomfort. Kidney cancer-related blood in the urine is sometimes painless, occasionally visible in the urine collection container, but always noticeable when the urine is tested.

However, other illnesses besides kidney cancer can also cause blood in the urine, such as cystitis, urinary tract infections (UTIs), bladder and prostate cancer, blood thinner overdoses, urinary tract stones, and cancer of the prostate and bladder.

Additional indicators of kidney cancer include a lump or tumour in the kidney region (flanks), weariness, flank discomfort, a general feeling of being poorly, loss of appetite, weight loss, low-grade fever, bone pain, high blood pressure, anaemia, or abnormal blood calcium levels.

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Kidney cancer usually begins as a tumor within the kidney. As these tumors grow larger, they affect the ability of kidneys to filter blood.

Causes and Diagnosis

The risk factors for kidney cancer include smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, family history, and radiation exposure, despite the fact that there is no recognized cause for the condition. Anyone who displays any of the above-mentioned kidney cancer symptoms should contact a doctor immediately.

The following tests may be used to identify and evaluate cancer:

• Urine examination
• Blood tests
• CT scan, and
• MRI of the abdomen and biopsy of the tumor

Different Stages of Kidney Cancer

How serious kidney cancer is depends on its stage.

The stage of a cancer is based on the location and size of the tumor, the extent to which lymph nodes are affected, and the degree to which the cancer has spread, if at all, to other tissues and organs.

Stage I and Stage II kidney cancers, in which the tumour has not spread outside of the kidney, are considered early stages.

Locally advanced kidney cancer includes Stage III cancers, where the tumor has spread to nearby structures.

Advanced kidney cancer, a stage IV tumour, has spread to other organs in addition to the kidney.

Management and Treatment

The patient's age, general health, and the stage and grade of the tumour all play an important role in how kidney cancer is treated. Surgery, ablation, radiation therapy, targeted drug therapy, immunotherapy, and sometimes chemotherapy are among the available treatment modalities.

Prevention

Different causes result in different cancer types. The causes of kidney cancer and potential preventative measures are still being investigated. Although kidney cancer cannot totally be prevented, there are certain strategies to lower one's risk, such as:

• Quitting smoking
• Lowering blood pressure
• Maintaining a healthy body weight
• Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in fat

(Dr. Vikram Shah Batra, Consultant Urology, HCMCT Manipal hospitals, Dwarka)

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