Hematuria
It is the clinical name of having blood in the urine, whether you’re able to see it or not. The most common type of kidney cancer starts in the convoluted tubules, which carry blood filtrate and contribute to creating urine. As it grows, the tumor recruits blood vessels and creates new ones, but they are abnormal, fragile, and prone to bleeding. An additional source of bleeding is normal blood vessels, which are compromised as the tumor grows.
Hematuria can be visible to the bare eye, changing the color of the urine. It may also need to be measured by a lab when it’s microscopic. In every case, before thinking about kidney cancer, we should rule out more common diseases, such as kidney stones, infections in the urinary tract, and trauma.