Kidney masses and kidney cancer: what happens next
Our Oakwood Clinic at 4239 Mundy Mill Rd Suite D&E is opening soon. Meanwhile, our Braselton clinicians are ready to see you, while procedures take place at our Lawrenceville Clinic & Surgery Center.
Most kidney tumors today are found by accident, on a scan done for something else. Not every mass is cancer, and many that are can be treated while keeping most of the kidney. Our urologists start by defining exactly what the scan shows.
Does kidney cancer cause symptoms?
Often none until it is larger. When symptoms appear, they include blood in the urine, a dull ache in the side or back, a lump in the belly, tiredness or weight loss without trying. Smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and family history raise the risk.
When should you see a urologist?
When an ultrasound, CT or MRI mentions a solid kidney mass or a complex cyst, when you see blood in your urine, or when side pain has no other explanation.
How is a kidney mass sorted out?
We review your images and often order a dedicated CT or MRI with contrast to characterize the mass. Simple cysts are common and harmless. A biopsy is used when the result would change the plan. For confirmed cancer, PET/CT imaging can show whether it has spread beyond the kidney.
Which treatments do we offer?
- Monitoring with scheduled imaging for some small masses, when that is a reasonable path.
- Kidney-sparing surgery that removes the tumor and keeps the rest of the kidney, often done robotically.
- Removal of the whole kidney when the tumor is large or centrally placed.
- Ablation, which treats certain small tumors with heat or cold through a needle.
What is recovery like?
Robotic kidney surgery uses small incisions; most people spend a short time in the hospital and return to light activity over a few weeks. Ablation recovery is usually quicker. Follow-up imaging checks the treated area and the other kidney over time.
What do patients ask about kidney cancer?
Is every kidney mass cancer?
No. Cysts are very common and usually harmless, and some solid masses are benign. Imaging details guide what needs treatment.
Can I keep my kidney?
Often, yes. Kidney-sparing surgery is preferred when the tumor size and location allow it, to protect kidney function.
Do I need a biopsy?
Not always. Many masses can be judged from imaging alone, and a biopsy is used when its answer would change the treatment.
What is ablation?
A needle-based treatment that destroys a small kidney tumor with extreme heat or cold, without removing kidney tissue.
Can I live normally with one kidney?
Most people do. A healthy single kidney usually handles the work, and your doctors will keep an eye on blood pressure and kidney function.
Which video explains this?
Watch on YouTube: #021 - FDG PET / CT for Kidney, Bladder and Testicular CancersWhat the video covers: A podcast episode explaining the FDG PET/CT scan and how it is used to look for kidney, bladder and testicular cancers.
Videos open on Advanced Urology's YouTube channel.
Which of our urologists focus on this?
These physicians list it among their focus areas on their Advanced Urology profiles. You can ask for one by name when you book.
- Dr. Mukesh Patel, Lawrenceville: Kidney Cancer
- Dr. Michael F. Nordsiek, Lawrenceville: Kidney Cancer
Which of our articles go deeper?
Where can you be seen for this?
At the Lawrenceville Clinic & Surgery Center on Crown Pointe Way, where testing and outpatient procedures share one building, or at the Braselton Clinic on Old Winder Highway for visits, lab work and follow-ups. Our Oakwood Clinic is opening soon. Call (678) 344-8900 or book online, and see your first visit and what to bring before you come.
Ready to talk with our urologists? We're here for you.