kidney cyst

[denelle]

My husband had a xray taken and the xray showed a small 4cm cyst on his right kidney. . States, "This could be a early sign of abdominal aortic aneurysm associated with atherosclerotic change.  The Orita is dialated to 3 CM. The cyst is a retnal cyst filed witg fluid.  Could this be cancer?  My husband is 52 years old.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,

Simple kidney cysts become more common as people age and most often, simple cysts do not cause symptoms or harm the kidney. However, pain can occur when cysts enlarge and press on other organs requiring surgical removal.
The most common type of kidney cancer in adults is the renal cell cancer. Symptoms of renal cell cancer may include the following: blood in the urine,  flank pain, lump in the flank, weight loss, fatigue, loss of appetite, fevers, night sweats and anemia. If these are not present, the probability of cancer is nil. However, periodic evaluation is needed for the abdominal aortic aneurysm. Surgery is recommended for patients with aneurysms bigger than 5.5 cm in diameter and aneurysms that rapidly increase in size to prevent complications. This link may be helpful:  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000162.htm

Take care and regards.

[freeatlast2008]

First of all, a 4 cm cyst is not small considering an entire kidney is normally 12 - 14 cm.  If the x-ray says it could be an early sign of abdominal aortic aneurysm...etc. then this should be followed up by a doctor.  What is an "Orita"?  It does not sound like cancer -- it sounds like an aneurysm.  Also, simple cysts are common in people over 50.

Ask your doctor.