Which symptom is commonly associated with kidney cancer?

• A. Painful urination
• B. Severe edema
• C. Frequent UTIs only
• D. Flank pain or a palpable mass and hematuria

Answer: (D)

Kidney cancer often shows signs from bleeding in the kidney along with effects of the growing tumor. Hematuria, whether you can see blood in the urine or it’s only detected on microscopic testing, occurs when the tumor disrupts kidney tissue or the lining of the urinary tract. As the tumor enlarges, it can stretch the kidney capsule causing flank pain, and a mass may become palpable in the flank or abdomen. So, the combination of hematuria with flank pain or a palpable mass fits the pattern physicians look for with kidney cancer.

Painful urination usually points to infection or stones rather than cancer. Severe edema isn’t a typical presenting sign of kidney cancer, and frequent UTIs alone don’t capture the tumor’s characteristic local effects.