Almost 14,000 Britons are diagnosed with kidney cancer every year. Despite the fact that this disease has a good prognosis for treatment, many people easily miss the first symptoms, which leads to late diagnoses. writes . Hazel Jackson, a nurse at Kidney Cancer UK, stressed that explaining potential symptoms can be difficult as they vary from person to person and can be subtle and easily mistaken for less serious conditions.
Key symptoms include persistent lower back pain, blood in the urine that can be pale pink to red or even cola-colored, unexplained weight loss, constant fatigue, and persistent night sweats. These symptoms are not exclusive to kidney cancer and may indicate other types of cancer or serious medical conditions.
Nurse Hazel has issued a stark warning about the often undetected threat of kidney cancer. She emphasized that it is extremely important to recognize the key symptoms. “In many cases, kidney cancer is not discovered until tests for unrelated conditions or an emergency room visit. It’s important to remember that you may not experience all of the key symptoms, and in fact you may only have one or two.” she explained.
“Although these symptoms can be symptoms of other conditions, it is important to associate them and contact your GP immediately if you experience them. Early detection can greatly influence the treatment and outcome of any cancer diagnosis.” added the nurse.
Kidney Cancer UK has warned that some individuals are more at risk and should be particularly vigilant. The charity mentioned that the elderly population, especially men, who face double the risk compared to women, should be on high alert.
Lifestyle factors such as obesity, smoking and high consumption of red and processed meat significantly increase the risk of developing the diseasewhile a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and fiber could potentially protect against the disease. Surprisingly, even seemingly unrelated medical conditions, such as Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, or hereditary clear cell and papillary renal carcinoma, with a personal or family history may increase the risk of kidney cancer.
