Diagnosis, investigations and tests

Abnormalities within the kidney may be seen on a number of scans, such as:

 

CT scans - A CT scan takes a series of x-rays which build up a three-dimensional picture of the inside of the body. The scan usually takes five to 10 minutes. If kidney cancer is suspected then a CT scan will be done to investigate this and this will include the chest abdomen and pelvis to be able to check all of the organs that may be affected. Learn more about CT scans.

 

Ultrasound scan  - Ultrasound scans use high frequency sound waves to create a picture of a part of the body. You might have an ultrasound scan of your abdomen. Find out more about ultrasound scans.

 

MRI  - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses magnetism and radio waves to create a cross sectional picture of the body. Read more about MRI scans.

 

Kidney biopsy – Your doctor might want to take a small piece of tissue from your kidney. The sample will then be sent to the laboratory to be looked at under a microscope. This is needed to confirm your cancer diagnosis.

 

Blood tests  - may be taken to check the kidney function but there is not any blood test that will indicate kidney cancer is present. This is because there are not any tumour markers that have been identified to measure this. Find out more about blood tests and book your next appointment.