Diagnosing kidney cancer
Tests and procedures used to diagnose kidney cancer include:
Blood and urine tests. Tests of your blood and your urine may give your doctor clues about what's causing your signs and symptoms.
Imaging tests. Imaging tests allow your doctor to visualize a kidney tumor or abnormality. Imaging tests might include ultrasound, computerized tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Removing a sample of kidney tissue (biopsy). In rare cases, your doctor may recommend a procedure to remove a small sample of cells (biopsy) from a suspicious area of your kidney. The sample is tested in a lab to look for signs of cancer