How is clear cell renal cell carcinoma diagnosed?

How is clear cell renal cell carcinoma diagnosed?

Kidney cancer rarely causes symptoms. That’s why healthcare providers discover more than half of kidney tumors while looking for a cause of other conditions. They may see a tumor on imaging tests like MRIs or CT scans to check for problems like kidney stones.

While imaging tests can detect a tumor, they can’t show whether the mass is benign or malignant. For an accurate diagnosis, you’ll undergo a biopsy or surgery to remove the tumor.

After surgery, healthcare providers take a biopsy of the tumor tissue. The results can confirm a cancer diagnosis and determine whether it’s the clear cell subtype. As many as 4 in 10 small kidney tumors (<4 centimeters) turn out to be noncancerous tumors like renal oncocytomas.