Experts flag 'easily missed' signs of kidney cancer that's surging in young people - as NHS figures show rise in 18 different cancers among under 50s

Experts have urged Britons to look out for the easily missed warning signs of kidney cancer – as new data reveals it is surging among under 50s.NHS figures show diagnoses of the disease in England jumped by 12 per cent among under-50s between 2023 and 2024, climbing from 1,095 cases to 1,227. Kidney cancer has, until recently, been more commonly associated with the elderly, with three-quarters of those diagnosed aged over 60. But experts told the Daily Mail that cases among under-50s have been slowly rising for years, yet they are unsure why.Concerningly, they say the disease is difficult to spot, especially in young patients who often see their cancer dismissed as something less serious.'It's very easy to miss, notoriously so,' Andrew Greaves, the general manager of charity Kidney Cancer UK, told the Daily Mail.One reason, he says, is that many of the warning signs can easily be mistaken for far more common conditions.Among them are back pain, night sweats and feeling generally run down and exhausted. Kidney cancer is one of 18 forms of the disease that has jumped between 2023 and 2024, according to the new data published by NHS England.The Daily Mail's graphic reveals how diagnoses changed across each cancer type over the period.For under 50s, kidney cancer recorded the sixth-largest increase behind mesothelioma, prostate cancer, small intestine cancer, bone sarcoma and pancreatic cancer.However, more young Britons suffer kidney cancer than any of the other five diseases. The toll of mesothelioma - a cancer related to asbestos exposure - increased to just 24 patients, from 16 in 2023.Kidney cancer is also one of the cancers most likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage. Around one in five patients discover they have kidney cancer only once it has reached stage four – the latest stage, when survival chances fall dramatically.Just 15 per cent of patients diagnosed at this point survive for more than five years.One frequently reported problem is pain in the back, side or flank, which can be mistaken for everyday problems such as muscle strain or a trapped nerve.About a third of patients say they experience this type of pain before diagnosis, Mr Greaves said. But that's not the only common warning sign that could be easily mistaken for other problems.Around one in four report persistent fatigue, the expert added, while roughly one in six say they have night sweats. The clearest warning sign, however, is blood in the urine, a well-established red flag symptom of kidney cancer. Yet that can be triggered by simple things like intense exercise or certain medications.'These symptoms could be anything,' said Mr Greaves, who added that a lot of women are told they are experiencing menopausal symptoms by their doctor. Veteran broadcaster James Whale died from kidney cancer in 2025 and founded charity Kidney Cancer UK'Even if you said, I've got all four of those symptoms, it could still be highly unlikely that it's kidney cancer, but it might be.' The expert added that the vague nature of the warning signs makes the disease a 'nightmare' for GPs to spot.'What I think a lot of GPs probably do is say, "it could be kidney cancer, but we'll treat you for [something else] and let's see how it goes".'And that's why about a quarter of people we surveyed said they were initially treated for another condition before being diagnosed with kidney cancer.'Mr Greaves said experts still do not know exactly why kidney cancer is becoming more common among younger adults. One possible explanation is that more cancers are being discovered because more people are undergoing scans for unrelated health problems. More than half of kidney cancers are now found by accident, he said. 'In other words, they were a scan for something else, and somebody spotted something on the kidney and said "hang on, wait, that's not right".'However, Mr Greaves admitted that a genuine increase in cases driven by currently unknown factors also cannot be ruled out. 'At the moment, we just don't know what's causing the rise,' he said.Mr Greaves said there is no 'magic formula' for preventing kidney cancer, but expert guidance recommends not smoking, cutting back on alcohol and eating a healthy diet. In total, there were 373,574 new cancer diagnoses across all types in 2024, excluding the most common types of skin cancers. That was 11,833 more than in 2023 and is an average of 1,021 diagnoses every day. Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, said the health service will do 'all we can to get people seen and treated for cancer as early as possible'.'If you are invited for one of our screening programmes please take up the offer,' he continued.'And if you are worried about potential signs and symptoms of cancer, please contact your GP surgery without delay.'