How is renal cell cancer diagnosed?

If the doctor thinks you may have renal cell cancer, he or she will organise a number of tests. These include:

• blood tests (e.g. kidney function markers such as creatinine)
• urine tests
• an ultrasound examination of the kidneys and bladder
• a computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the abdomen
• a CT scan of the lungs, to rule out the possibility of secondary cancers
• kidney function tests where appropriate

Taking a sample of the tumour tissue by inserting a needle into the kidney (biopsy) is NOT usually recommended, as isolated cases of cancer cells being spread into the wound created by the needle have been reported.
The preferred option is therefore usually to completely remove the cancer directly.