Nurse warns of little-known kidney cancer signs that are often ignored

Almost 14,000 people across Britain are diagnosed with kidney cancer every year. Patients can be given a good prognosis if the cancer is caught early.

But according to one nurse, many people often dismiss the early symptoms which leads to them finding out late that they have kidney cancer. Hazel Jackson, healthcare professional nurse at Kidney Cancer UK, said it can be difficult to explain how symptoms might feel as they can be different for each person.

Symptoms can also be subtle and easy to dismiss as unconnected and less serious conditions. Some of the top key symptoms include persistent pain in the lower back or even on one side of the back, along with blood in the urine.

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Blood in your urine can appear in a variety of shades from a light pink to red or even a 'cola-like colour'. Unexplained weight loss, continuous fatigue and persistent night sweats are also common kidney cancer symptoms.

These are also warning signs for other types of cancer and serious health conditions. Hazel urged people to learn these 'crucial' signs.

She said: "In many cases, kidney cancer is only discovered through tests for unrelated conditions or a visit to A&E. It is important to note you may not experience all the key symptoms and may in fact only have 1 or 2.

"While these signs can be signs of other conditions, it's important to link them together and contact your GP promptly if you do experience them. Early detection can make a significant difference in the treatment and outcome of any cancer diagnosis."

According to Kidney Cancer UK, some people have higher risk factors for kidney cancer than others and would need to keep a closer watch on these symptoms. This includes people who are older in age - particularly men who are twice as likely to develop kidney cancer than women.

Obesity, smoking and a high consumption in red and processed meats have proven to increase your risk of kidney cancer. Eating a lot of fruits, vegetables and fibre could offer some protection against the disease.

Some seemingly unrelated health issues could also increase your risk of kidney cancer such as having a family history of Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, hereditary clear cell and papillary renal cell cancer.