Investigation

How you are investigated will depend on what symptoms you saw your GP with.  Your doctor may arrange urine tests or an ultrasound investigation.

If you have had blood in the urine (haematuria) you will be referred to our one stop haematuria clinic (see separate information sheet).  You will have an ultrasound performed and a telescope passed into the bladder (flexible cystoscopy). 

If these tests suggest the possibility of a kidney tumour you will go on to have a CT scan.  Immediately before this scan you have an injection of dye into a vein allowing the kidney to be seen in greater detail.  The CT scan gives us very detailed pictures of your body and usually allows a diagnosis to be made.  

If there is still some doubt we occasionally arrange for a biopsy of the tumour.  This is done by a X-ray doctor (radiologist) using either a CT or ultrasound scan to guide a needle into the tumour and attain a biopsy.