Blood in the urine
Pink, red or dark-brown urine — even once, even painless — always warrants investigation.
Cancers We Treat
GU cancers of the kidney
GU cancers of the kidney
and bladder, treated precisely.
Genitourinary cancer covers the kidney, bladder and urinary tract (see also our dedicated prostate cancer page). Renal cell carcinoma and urothelial bladder cancer are the most common — and modern radiation now offers real options, including SBRT for kidney tumours in patients unsuitable for surgery.
9 in 10Kidney cancers are renal cell carcinoma
Top 10Bladder cancer among Singaporean men
SBRTA non-surgical option for inoperable kidney tumours
Image · placeholderAn AARO care coordinator with a patient before treatment.
Image · placeholderAnatomy illustration — the kidneys, ureters and bladder
Genitourinary Cancer · What is it
Kidney, bladder and the urinary tract.
Genitourinary cancers arise from uncontrolled cell growth in the organs of the urinary system. In the kidney, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for about nine in ten cancers — most commonly the clear cell subtype, with papillary and chromophobe variants less common. Transitional cell carcinomas arise not from the kidney itself but from the lining of the renal pelvis; Wilm's tumour affects children; renal sarcomas are rare.
In Singapore, renal cancers account for one to two percent of all cancers, while bladder cancer is among the ten most common cancers in men — and in its early stages, it can often be cured. Most bladder cancers are urothelial carcinomas arising from the cells lining the urinary tract, with rarer squamous cell, adenocarcinoma and small cell types.
The different types carry different outlooks and treatment plans — precise typing and staging come first.
Genitourinary Cancer · Symptoms
When to see a doctor.
Blood in the urine is the signature symptom across GU cancers — painless, sometimes intermittent, and never normal.
Flank or back pain
Persistent one-sided lower back pain not caused by injury.
A lump or mass
A lump on the side or lower back.
Urinary changes
Frequency, urgency or pain on urination that persists.
Fatigue & anaemia
Tiredness, or anaemia found on blood tests.
Weight loss & fever
Unexplained weight loss, fevers or night sweats in advanced disease.
Genitourinary Cancer · Diagnosis
How genitourinary cancer is diagnosed.
Modern imaging characterises most kidney tumours without biopsy — while bladder cancer is diagnosed by looking directly.
Image · placeholderLaboratory urinalysis and cytology
Urine tests
Urinalysis confirms blood and checks for abnormal cells (cytology).
Image · placeholderMultiphase renal CT on the review console
CT / MRI imaging
Multiphase CT characterises renal masses and maps the urinary tract.
Image · placeholderCystoscopy examination illustration
Cystoscopy
A thin scope examines the bladder lining directly; suspicious areas are biopsied or resected.
Image · placeholderStaging review with the specialist
Staging
CT of the chest and abdomen — with bone scan or PET where indicated — completes the stage.
Genitourinary Cancer · Risk factors
What raises your risk?
Smoking is the leading preventable risk factor for both kidney and bladder cancer.
Smoking
Doubles bladder cancer risk and significantly raises kidney cancer risk.
Occupational chemicals
Industrial exposure to aromatic amines (dyes, rubber, leather industries) raises bladder cancer risk.
Obesity & hypertension
Both are established kidney cancer risk factors.
Chronic bladder irritation
Long-term catheters, stones and recurrent infections raise squamous bladder cancer risk.
Family history & syndromes
Von Hippel–Lindau disease and hereditary papillary RCC syndromes raise kidney cancer risk.
Age & sex
Risk rises with age; both cancers are more common in men.
Genitourinary Cancer · Treatment
How AARO treats genitourinary cancer.
Surgery leads for most operable GU cancers — but radiation's role has expanded decisively, especially for patients who can't have surgery.
Kidney SBRT
Ablative stereotactic radiation offers hope for inoperable kidney cancer — precise, non-invasive, and delivered in a handful of sessions.
Bladder chemoradiation
Bladder-preserving treatment — radiation with chemotherapy — as an alternative to bladder removal for suitable patients.
VMAT / IMRT & IGRT
Daily image guidance manages bladder filling and organ motion across every pelvic course.
Immunotherapy coordination
Checkpoint inhibitors are now standard in advanced kidney and bladder cancer — sequenced with radiation in one plan.
Genitourinary Cancer · Precision
Hours of planning, for one careful treatment.
Every plan at AARO goes through detailed contouring, dose simulation, and independent physics review before a single beam is delivered. We do this so the radiation hits exactly the tissue that needs it — and avoids the healthy tissue around it.
Image · placeholderTwo AARO radiation therapists at the planning console, reviewing a treatment plan together on a multi-monitor workstation.
We plan every dose.
Our medical physicists and radiation therapists collaborate on each plan — contouring tumour and organs-at-risk, simulating dose distribution, and independently checking every parameter before delivery.
Image · placeholderAn AARO team member reviewing verification imaging at the console — daily image guidance before treatment.
We verify every session.
Imaging before each fraction confirms the target's position to the millimetre — so tight margins stay safe, and healthy tissue stays out of the high-dose region.
Image · placeholderA patient comfortably positioned beneath the Elekta linear accelerator with green laser positioning lights and the signature starry ceiling above.
Genitourinary Cancer · What to expect
Quiet, precise, uneventful.
Each treatment session takes 15–30 minutes. You'll lie on a precision treatment couch beneath the linear accelerator. Positioning lasers and daily imaging align you to within a millimetre of the planned position.
You won't feel the radiation as it's delivered. There's no anaesthesia, no recovery time, and no overnight stay. Most patients drive themselves home after the session and return to normal activities the same day.
Image · placeholderThe four senior AARO specialists at the Centre for Stereotactic Radiosurgery.
Genitourinary Cancer · Your specialists
Meet Dr Jonathan Teh→
Sub-specialist care.
GU radiation at AARO is led by our genitourinary sub-specialists — including internationally published kidney SBRT expertise.
Dr Jonathan TehGU · Head & Neck · GI · Sarcoma · Paediatric
Dr Daniel TanSRS · SBRT · Brain · Spine · Prostate
Recently diagnosed? Or seeking a second opinion?
Book a 45–60 minute specialist consultation. We'll review your imaging and pathology, explain the options that apply to your case, and answer your questions.