In a case series of 34 patients, Davis and colleagues reported the following signs and symptoms:

- macroscopically visible (gross) hematuria (60%)

- abdominal or back/flank pain (50%)

- significant weight loss (25%)

Other researchers have reported a palpable renal mass or enlarged lymph nodes.

Historically, medical practitioners expected a person to present with three findings. This classic triad is 1: haematuria, which is when there is blood present in the urine, 2: flank pain, which is pain on the side of the body between the hip and ribs, and 3: an abdominal mass, similar to bloating but larger. It is now known that this classic triad of symptoms only occurs in 10–15% of cases, and is usually indicative that the renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is in an advanced stage. Today, RCC is often asymptomatic (meaning few to no symptoms) and is generally detected incidentally when a person is being examined for other ailments.

Other signs and symptom may include haematuria; loin pain; abdominal mass; malaise, which is a general feeling of unwellness; weight loss and/or loss of appetite; anaemia resulting from depression of erythropoietin; erythrocytosis (increased production of red blood cells) due to increased erythropoietin secretion; varicocele, which is seen in males as an enlargement of the pampiniform plexus of veins draining the testis (more often the left testis) hypertension (high blood pressure) resulting from secretion of renin by the tumour; hypercalcemia, which is elevation of calcium levels in the blood; sleep disturbance or night sweats; recurrent fevers; and chronic fatigue.

Renal medullary carcinoma has been termed "the seventh sickle cell nephropathy" because it is found almost exclusively in individuals with sickle cell trait or occasionally in those with sickle cell disease.

The most common signs and symptoms of kidney cancer are a mass in the abdomen and/or blood in the urine (or hematuria). Other symptoms may include tiredness, loss of appetite, weight loss, a high temperature and heavy sweating, and persistent pain in the abdomen. However, many of these symptoms can be caused by other conditions, and there may also be no signs or symptoms in a person with kidney cancer, especially in the early stages of the disease.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a kidney cancer that originates in the lining of the proximal convoluted tubule, a part of the very small tubes in the kidney that transport primary urine. RCC is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults, responsible for approximately 90–95% of cases.

Initial treatment is most commonly either partial or complete removal of the affected kidney(s). Where the cancer has not metastasised (spread to other organs) or burrowed deeper into the tissues of the kidney, the 5-year survival rate is 65–90%, but this is lowered considerably when the cancer has spread.

The body is remarkably good at hiding the symptoms and as a result people with RCC often have advanced disease by the time it is discovered. The initial symptoms of RCC often include blood in the urine (occurring in 40% of affected persons at the time they first seek medical attention), flank pain (40%), a mass in the abdomen or flank (25%), weight loss (33%), fever (20%), high blood pressure (20%), night sweats and generally feeling unwell. When RCC metastasises, it most commonly spreads to the lymph nodes, lungs, liver, adrenal glands, brain or bones. Immunotherapy and targeted therapy have improved the outlook for metastatic RCC.

RCC is also associated with a number of paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS) which are conditions caused by either the hormones produced by the tumour or by the body's attack on the tumour and are present in about 20% of those with RCC. These syndromes most commonly affect tissues which have not been invaded by the cancer. The most common PNSs seen in people with RCC are: high blood calcium levels, polycythaemia (the opposite of anemia, due to an overproduction of the hormone erythropoietin), thrombocytosis (too many platelets in the blood, leading to an increased tendency for blood clotting and bleeds) and secondary amyloidosis.

In addition to renal cell carcinoma and renal pelvis carcinoma, other, less common types of kidney cancer include:

- Squamous cell carcinoma

- Juxtaglomerular cell tumor (reninoma)

- Angiomyolipoma

- Bellini duct carcinoma

- Clear-cell sarcoma of the kidney

- Mesoblastic nephroma

- Wilms' tumor, usually is reported in children under the age of 5.

- Mixed epithelial stromal tumor

Rarely, some other types of cancer and potentially cancerous tumors that more usually originate elsewhere can originate in the kidneys. These include:

- Clear cell adenocarcinoma

- Transitional cell carcinoma

- Inverted papilloma

- Renal lymphoma

- Teratoma

- Carcinosarcoma

- Carcinoid tumor of the renal pelvis

Cancer in the kidney may also be secondary, the result of metastasis from a primary cancer elsewhere in the body.

Symptoms vary between individuals and can be dependent upon the stage of growth of the carcinoma. Presence of the carcinoma can lead to be asymptomatic blood in the urine (hematuria), Hematuria can be visible or detected microscopically. Visible hematuria is when urine appears red or brown and can be seen with the naked eye. Other symptoms are not specific. Other inflammatory conditions that affect the bladder and kidney can create similar symptoms. Early detection facilitates curing the disease. Other symptoms can involve:

- pain or burning on urination

- the sensation of not being able to completely empty the bladder

- the sensation of needing to urinate more often or more frequently than normal

These symptoms are general and also indicate less serious problems.

The symptoms may be similar to those classically associated with renal cell carcinoma, and may include polycythemia, abdominal pain, hematuria and a palpable mass. Mean age at onset is around 40 years with a range of 5 to 83 years and the mean size of the tumour is 5.5 cm with a range 0.3 to 15 cm (1). Polycythemia is more frequent in MA than in any other type of renal tumour. Of further relevance is that this tumour is more commonly calcified than any other kidney neoplasm. Surgery is curative and no other treatment is recommended. There is so far no evidence of metastases or local recurrence.

Acquired cystic kidney disease-associated renal cell carcinoma is rare subtype of renal cell carcinoma.

Metanephric adenoma (MA)is a rare, benign tumour of the kidney, that can have a microscopic appearance similar to a nephroblastoma (Wilms tumours), or a papillary renal cell carcinoma.

It should not be confused with the pathologically unrelated, yet similar sounding, "mesonephric adenoma".

Papillary renal cell carcinomas are subtypes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Invasive urothelial carcinoma is a type of transitional cell carcinoma or TCC and urothelial cell carcinoma or UCC. It is a type of cancer that develops in the urinary system: the kidney, urinary bladder, and accessory organs. It is the most common type of bladder cancer and cancer of the ureter, urethra, renal pelvis, the ureters, the bladder, and parts of the urethra and urachus.. It originates from tissue lining the inner surface of these hollow organs - transitional epithelium. The invading tumors can extend from the kidney collecting system to the bladder.

Carcinoma (from the Greek "karkinos", or "crab", and "-oma", "growth") is a type of cancer. A carcinoma is a cancer that begins in a tissue that lines the inner or outer surfaces of the body, and that generally arises from cells originating in the endodermal or ectodermal germ layer during embryogenesis.

PUNLMPs can lead to blood in the urine (hematuria) or may be asymptomatic.

Medullary carcinoma may refer to one of several different tumors of epithelial origin. As the term "" is a generic anatomic descriptor for the mid-layer of various organ tissues, a medullary tumor usually arises from the "mid-layer tissues" of the relevant organ.

Medullary carcinoma most commonly refers to:

- Medullary thyroid cancer

- Medullary carcinoma of the breast

Medullary carcinoma may also refer to tumors of:

- Pancreas

- Ampulla of Vater

- Gallbladder

- Stomach

- Large intestine

- Kidney — Renal medullary carcinoma

MTSCC has a gross appearance close to papillary RCC. Microscopically, it has three histologic components: mucin, tumor cells forming tubules, and spindle cells. It is characterized by the proliferation of cuboidal and spindle cells arranged in tubular or sheet-like arrays, typically with a mucinous or myxoid background.

MTSCC is of low-grade malignancy. Some rare cases of lymph node metastasis and recurrence have been described. Two cases of MTSCC with sarcomatoid change have been described, one with widespread metastasis to distant organs, including lung and bone.

A spindled component is characteristic of MTSCC, but the presence of significant pleomorphism with prominent nucleoli and mitotic activity, and necrosis should raise concern for a sarcomatoid change. Microscopic necrosis can be seen focally in MTSCC. Its significance is unknown. The presence of any necrosis should be mentioned in the pathological report.

Signs and symptoms of TCC are entirely dependent on the location and extent of the cancer.

A ureteral neoplasm is a type of tumor that can be primary, or associated with a metastasis from another site.

Treatment may involve removal of the kidney and ureter, or just the ureter.

Classification of cancers often is oriented around the embryological origin of the tissue. In some contexts, the primary division is at the border of kidney and ureter, and in other contexts, the primary division is between derivatives of the metanephric blastema and those of the ureteric bud. Because of this, neoplasia of the ureters are sometimes grouped with tumors of the renal pelvis.

Clear cell papillary renal cell carcinoma, abbreviated CCPRCC and also known as clear cell tubulopapillary renal cell carcinoma, is a rare subtype of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) that has microscopic morphologic features of papillary renal cell carcinoma and clear cell renal cell carcinoma, yet is pathologically distinct based on molecular changes and immunohistochemistry.

Cytologic features of serous carcinoma are:

- Marked intragroup nuclear pleomorphism.

- Macronucleoli.

- "Knobby" group borders (in large groups).

- Hydropic vacuoles.

Symptoms of serous carcinoma may include:

- Discomfort/pain or bloating in abdomen

- Frequent urination

- Weight loss

In urologic pathology, PUNLMP, short for papillary urothelial neoplasm of low malignant potential, is an exophytic (outward growing), (microscopically) nipple-shaped (or papillary) pre-malignant growth of the lining of the upper genitourinary tract (the urothelium), which includes the renal pelvis, ureters, urinary bladder and part of the urethra.

"PUNLMP" is pronounced "pun"-"lump", like the words "pun" and "lump".

As their name suggests, PUNLMPs are neoplasms, i.e. clonal cellular proliferations, that are thought to have a low probability of developing into urothelial cancer, i.e. a malignancy such as bladder cancer.

Primary peritoneal cancer or carcinoma is also known as serous surface papillary carcinoma, primary peritoneal carcinoma, extra-ovarian serous carcinoma, primary serous papillary carcinoma, psammomacarcinoma. It was historically classified under "carcinoma of unknown primary" (CUP). Primary peritoneal cancer (PPC, or PPCa) is a cancer of the cells lining the peritoneum, or abdominal cavity.

Some studies indicate that up to 15% of serous ovarian cancers are thought to be actually primary peritoneal carcinomas in origin.

Histomorphological and molecular biological characteristics suggest that serous carcinomas, which include ovarian serous carcinoma, uterine serous carcinoma, Fallopian tube serous carcinoma, cervical serous carcinoma, and primary peritoneal serous carcinoma really represent one entity.

Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) also urothelial carcinoma (UCC), is a type of cancer that typically occurs in the urinary system. It is the most common type of bladder cancer and cancer of the ureter, urethra, and urachus. It is the second most common type of kidney cancer, but accounts for only five to 10 percent of all primary renal malignant tumors.

TCC arises from the transitional epithelium, a tissue lining the inner surface of these hollow organs.

When the term "urothelial" is used, it specifically refers to a carcinoma of the urothelium, meaning a TCC of the urinary system.

In pathology, serous carcinoma is an epithelial malignancy (carcinoma) that arises from the lining of a cavity that produces a serum-like fluid (a serous cavity).

Serous lined cavities include the peritoneum, pericardium and pleural space and tunica vaginalis.

People over 20 years of age with Birt–Hogg–Dubé syndrome have an increased risk of developing slow-growing kidney tumors (chromophobe renal carcinoma and renal oncocytoma, respectively), kidney cysts, and possibly tumors in other organs and tissues. These tumors often occur in both kidneys and in multiple locations in each kidney. The average number of kidney tumors found in a person with BHD is 5.3, though up to 28 tumors have been found. Hybrid oncocytoma/chromophobe carcinoma, found in 50% of cases, is the most commonly found cancer, followed by chromophobe renal carcinoma, clear cell renal carcinoma, renal oncocytoma, and papillary renal cell carcinoma. People over 40 years old and men are more likely to develop kidney tumors, which are diagnosed at a median age of 48. Kidney cancer associated with BHD have been diagnosed in people at ages as young as 20.

In general, people with Birt–Hogg–Dubé syndrome are at roughly seven times the risk of kidney cancer compared to the unaffected population. Estimates of the incidence among people with the disease range from 14%–34%. Rarely, it is associated with clear cell renal cell carcinoma and papillary renal cell carcinoma. If it develops in someone with BHD, renal cell carcinoma occurs later in life and has a poor prognosis. Though the types of tumor typically associated with BHD are considered less aggressive, cases of advanced or metastatic kidney cancer have been observed in people with the syndrome. Both benign and cancerous tumors can reduce kidney function over time as they grow larger.