Diagnostic tests

Quite often doctors may ask you to have various tests to see if anything abnormal is occurring in your body. Abnormalities may, or may not, indicate cancer but they can provide clues as to why certain symptoms are occurring in your body. Abnormalities may trigger further investigations, such as imaging scans, which will give more definitive answers as to whether you have cancer.

Urine and blood tests are common initial tests which are used to provide doctors with information prior to diagnosis, but they can also be used to monitor how your body responds to treatment. Much less frequently, you may be offered a percutaneous biopsy prior, or during, your treatment for kidney cancer, this is used to microscopically view the tumour cell type and how aggressive it is likely to be.

The downloadable chart provides information about the tests: why they are conducted, the information they provide, how specific the test is and the equipment and anaesthetic used.