Cancer

Some 50,000 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer every year in the United States, the most common among adults being renal cell carcinoma, which forms in the lining of small tubes in the kidney. Children usually develop a different type called Wilms’ tumor.

While kidney cancer typically causes no obvious symptoms in its early stages, as it grows, a patient may experience:

• Blood in the urine
• A lump or mass in the kidney area
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Recurrent fevers

To diagnose the cause of the symptoms, your doctor may ask about your medical history and perform a physical exam. Along with checking general signs of health, your doctor may perform blood and urine tests, and may carefully feel the abdomen for lumps or irregular masses.

Bladder is the fourth most common cancer among men and the ninth most common among women in the United States. The type of bladder cancer depends on which cells become cancerous.

There are four types:

1. Transitional cell carcinoma
2. Squamous cell carcinoma
3. Superficial bladder cancer
4. Invasive bladder cancer

Common symptoms of bladder cancer include blood in the urine (making the urine slightly rusty to deep red), pain during urination, and frequent urination or feeling the need to urinate without results. Infections, benign tumors, bladder stones or other problems can also cause these symptoms, so it’s imperative to see a doctor when the symptoms occur.