Weird and slightly grim question. Did anyone else have a change in the smell of their urine before they were...

Understanding Changes in Urine Smell and Lymphoma

I appreciate you asking this—it's actually a thoughtful observation about your body, and it's exactly the kind of detail that can matter in cancer care.

What You're Describing

You've noticed something real: a change in urine odor before diagnosis that resolved with treatment. This is worth understanding, even though it's not commonly discussed.

Why this might have happened with lymphoma near your kidneys:

When tumors grow near the kidneys or urinary tract, they can affect urine composition in several ways:

• Metabolic byproducts: Cancer cells have different metabolism than normal cells. They break down nutrients differently and release different waste products into the bloodstream, which can be filtered into urine
• Tumor necrosis (cell death): As tumors grow, especially if they outpace their blood supply, cells die and release their contents—this can change urine chemistry and smell
• Kidney function changes: Tumors pressing on kidneys can alter how they filter waste, potentially concentrating certain metabolites that have distinctive odors
• Inflammatory response: Your immune system reacting to the tumor can produce inflammatory markers that affect urine composition

The fact that it disappeared when treatment started suggests the tumor burden (the total amount of cancer) was directly responsible—as the tumor shrank, this effect resolved.

Why Standard Urine Tests Came Back Normal

This is important context: standard urinalysis looks for specific things (protein, glucose, blood cells, bacteria, pH). It doesn't detect every metabolic change. You could have had:

• Altered amino acid metabolism
• Different organic acid levels
• Changes in volatile compounds (which create smell)

...without any of these showing up as "abnormal" on routine testing. The tests were looking for kidney disease or infection—not for tumor-related metabolic changes.

Is This Common in Lymphoma?

Honestly, I don't have specific published research in my knowledge base documenting this as a recognized early symptom of lymphoma. However, this type of observation fits within what we know about:

• Paraneoplastic syndromes (effects cancer has on the body beyond the tumor itself)
• Metabolic changes from tumor burden
• Localized effects when tumors are near organs like kidneys

According to the NCCN Guidelines for Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas, patients often report non-specific symptoms before diagnosis (fatigue, night sweats, weight loss), but urine changes aren't typically listed as a classic presenting symptom.

Questions to Ask Your Oncology Team

This would be valuable to discuss with your care team:

1. "Given where my tumor was located (near my kidneys), could the urine smell change have been related to tumor metabolites or kidney function changes?"

2. "Are there any metabolic markers or tumor byproducts that could cause this kind of change?"

3. "Should I report similar changes in the future as a potential sign of recurrence?"

4. "Would it be worth tracking other body changes like this as part of my monitoring?"

Why This Matters

You've made an important observation: your body was telling you something was wrong before standard tests caught it. This is actually a valuable lesson about cancer care—sometimes patients notice subtle changes that don't fit neatly into medical categories but are real signals.

This is exactly the kind of detail that engaged patients bring to their care team, and it's worth documenting in your [ID removed] If you experience similar changes in the future, it could be an early warning sign worth investigating.

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This information is for educational purposes only. Always consult your healthcare team for personalized medical advice and decisions.