Kidney cancer occurs twice as often in males as it does in females, according to the journal Biology of Sex Differences. Males also tend to have larger tumors and a worse prognosis when they’re first diagnosed with kidney cancer. Knowing the signs, symptoms, and risk factors for kidney cancer may help you catch it early and get treatment sooner.

Here’s what you need to know about how kidney cancer can show up in men and what factors might put you at higher risk. If you’re concerned about kidney cancer, talk to your healthcare provider. They can help you evaluate your risk and recommend testing if needed.

Symptoms of Kidney Cancer in Men

Symptoms are manifestations of a condition or changes that you may notice in how your body is working. Regardless of your gender, there often aren’t obvious symptoms of kidney cancer. In fact, it’s usually found when doctors are looking for something else.

If you do experience symptoms, you might notice:

• A lump or swelling in your back, under your ribs, or in your neck
• Extreme tiredness or feeling like you don’t have your usual energy
• Lower back pain or flank pain that doesn’t improve
• Blood in your urine, which can turn it red or pink
• An increase in the amount you sweat, including during the night
• Unintentional weight loss or a decrease in appetite
• A high fever that doesn’t get better

Of these symptoms, blood in the urine is more common in males with kidney cancer, according to the journal BJUI International. There may be other kidney cancer symptoms that vary according to your sex, but researchers haven’t uncovered them yet.

Signs of Kidney Cancer in Men

Signs are clues a healthcare professional may notice during an exam or on test results. According to the journal European Urology, when males are first diagnosed with kidney cancer, the cancer is usually worse than it is when females are first diagnosed.

Males often have larger tumors, a higher grade of cancer cells, and a later stage. One possible reason, according to Urologic Oncology, is that females may be more likely than males to seek routine medical care.

Seeking care earlier can mean getting testing that detects kidney cancer sooner. The exception may be older males, who could be more likely to seek regular medical care than younger males.

There are many tests that oncologists might run to diagnose kidney cancer, including blood tests, imaging tests, urine tests, and kidney biopsies. Here are the signs your urology team looks for when they run tests to look for kidney cancer.

Blood Tests and Kidney Cancer

In blood tests, your oncology team might be looking for anemia, which means you don’t have enough red blood cells, or polycythemia, which means you have too many of them. They may also be looking for high levels of certain kinds of blood cells, such as platelets or white blood cells, which can go up when your body is dealing with kidney cancer. These findings can be clues that point to kidney cancer, but blood tests alone can’t confirm it.

There are more specific tests that look at certain aspects of your blood chemistry. If you have kidney cancer, your liver enzymes, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), or calcium might be high. Some of these results can tell your healthcare professional how well your kidneys are working, which can help them make informed decisions about kidney cancer treatment options.

Imaging Tests and Kidney Cancer

If your doctor orders imaging tests such as ultrasound, a CT scan, or an MRI, they’re likely trying to find out:

• Whether there are kidney tumors present
• How big any tumors in your kidneys are
• Where any tumors they see are
• How far kidney cancer has spread

They may use imaging scans to guide a needle if they’re taking a needle biopsy of your kidney tissue. Your doctors might also use imaging tests later in the process of treating kidney cancer to check how well a treatment is working or find out if kidney cancer has returned.

Urine Tests and Kidney Cancer

Urine tests help your doctor look for white and/or red blood cells and check kidney function. If they’re concerned about certain types of tumors, they may also test your urine for the presence of cancer cells.

Kidney Biopsy

In many cases, a kidney biopsy can help confirm a kidney cancer diagnosis. It can also help doctors know what type of kidney cancer you have, whether surgery is a good option, and, if so, what kind of surgery might work best.

Healthcare professionals can also run laboratory tests on the tissue they take to figure out what grade of kidney cancer you have. Grades run from 1 to 4, with higher grades having a worse prognosis. During the biopsy, they’ll take very small samples from areas of your kidney that they’re worried about so they can test them later.

Risk Factors for Kidney Cancer in Men

Risk factors are aspects of your body or your lifestyle that make it more likely you’ll develop kidney cancer. Even if you have risk factors, it doesn’t mean you’ll definitely get kidney cancer. It just raises your chances.

Kidney cancer risk factors include:

• Smoking
• Being between 65 and 74 years old
• Having a body mass index (BMI) that’s 30 or higher
• Having a close family member who has been diagnosed with kidney cancer or a long family history of kidney cancer
• Using dialysis long-term for kidney disease
• Having certain inherited disorders that affect your kidneys
• Having diabetes
• Having high blood pressure, as this can damage the small blood vessels in your kidneys
• Being exposed to chemicals known to cause cancer, which may occur at work or during military service

Which Risk Factors Are More Common in Men?

Some of these risk factors may be more common depending on your gender. This could, in turn, explain at least some of why kidney cancer occurs more frequently in males.

For instance, males are more likely to smoke than females, according to the journal Cancers. They’re also more likely to work in jobs where they’re exposed to substances that can cause cancer. The journal Kidney International Reports notes that men are also more likely than women to start dialysis for kidney failure.

Talk to Your Doctor

If you’re concerned about an increased risk of kidney cancer, especially if you have symptoms that may be related to kidney cancer, talk to your doctor. Your healthcare team can help you better understand your individual risk and order any testing needed to check for cancer.

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