Urology Week 2026

This year, the European Association of Urology is dedicating Urology Week specifically to kidney cancer. The reason is simple: it is a disease that can develop over a long period without clear symptoms. Therefore, it is important to talk about it before serious signs of the disease appear.

Symptoms of kidney cancer include blood in the urine—a symptom that should never be ignored. Pain in the flank area, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or fever may also occur. However, it is important to emphasize that many kidney tumors do not cause any symptoms in the early stages and are discovered incidentally during an ultrasound or CT scan performed for another reason.

Risk increases with age, and smoking, obesity and high blood pressure stand out among known risk factors. In a smaller number of patients, there is also a hereditary predisposition.

Early detection significantly alters treatment options. When the tumor is confined to the kidney, it is often possible today to remove only the tumor while preserving the remaining functional kidney tissue; this procedure is known as a partial nephrectomy. For carefully selected smaller tumors, other options exist, including active surveillance or ablative methods.

Diagnosis of a kidney tumor does not automatically mean the loss of the entire kidney. This is one of the important messages to patients. Modern urology, when it is oncologically safe, tries not only to cure the tumor but also to preserve as much healthy kidney tissue as possible.

Kidney cancer can remain silent for a long time, but that does not mean it should be ignored. Do not overlook blood in the urine or other unusual symptoms; manage risk factors and consult your doctor or urologist. When the disease is detected early, treatment options are significantly better.

Message of the Urology Week 2026:

Kidney cancer can be silent. Let's be louder than him.