Waiting to find out, 4.9cm complex mass

Jan4you said:

So sorry for this scare. We

So sorry for this scare. We do understand how it feels when you hear it might be cancer.

I also had a MRI when I should've had a CT scan. Is your urologist also a surgeon trained in robatic/laproscopic surgeries for renal cancer?

Who ever becomes your surgeon, you may have a partial (part of kidney removed around the mass) rather than a radical or kidney removed. Again, you want someone trained in this kind of surgery.

And, my urologist (who also was my surgeon) showed me the difference between the cyst and the mass. The margins are different and the cyst is brighter on scan with smooth margins.

We'll be here for you through this time, if you'd like us to be.

Sending you calm, healing vibes.

Hugs, Jan

Hi Jan,

No CT for me unless it's without contrast, I have a severe allergy to CT contrast.  My urologist is trained in robotic surgery, he is supposedly one of the best.    Also, I'm looking for recommendations for a second opinion, I'm in the suburbs of Chicago, but I will travel if necessary.  I had a cardiac ablation for SVT 11 years ago and made the trip to the Cleveland Clinic for that procedure, because the doctors in my area weren't doing (in my opinion) enough of them for me to be comfortable having it done closer to home.  Thank you for the kind words, they are really appreciated.

Hi again, I have rescheduled the scan for this Friday the 14th, and the anxiety is so bad!  I'm wondering if it's possible to have a complex cyst that is the size of mine and they don't do anything?  Does everything that's not a simple cyst that is slowly growing eventually need to be removed?  

medic1971 said:

Hello

Hi suki1724 and sorry you are here, but I am glad you found us. 

At 4.9cm I am almost certain that this will need to come out, but you have time to get a second opinion.  The Cleveland Clinic is in the top 10 list of best cancer hospitals in the US accounting to US News and World Reports, but it sounds like you have a good doctor to start with.  I traveled out of state for my surgery so I understand where you are coming from and what you are looking for. 

I would not count on growth rate as an indicator on what this is.  Benign and malignant tumors and can grow slowly, or quickly, there are some that will not grow, and even some that will shrink. 

I waited four months between finding my tumors and surgery so I get the anxiety factor.  If it gets too bad ask your doctor for something to help with the anxiety.

From reading your posts it sounds like you are a smart patient and you're working on a good plan. 

Keep us posted and asked lots of questions,

Medic

PS. I bet those SVT episodes were not a lot of fun.   

   

 

Medic,

Those SVT episodes were miserable, AND I was having bigeminy and trigeminy as well as 30,000 pvc's per day.  I was not a happy camper.  I will ocassionally have a "reminder" with a little run of pvc's or sinus tach, usually when my potassium is on the lower end of normal, I'm pretty sensitive, LOL.    I still remember waking up after the ablation and I couldn't "feel" my heart doing anything weird, which was so strange to me!  My surgeon was Dr. J. David Burkhardt, who is now at the Texas Heart Institute and he is my hero, he gave me my quality of life back and I will always be so grateful.  

Thanks for the response, it really helps to "talk" to those that understand. 

Susan

I was short of breath and dizzy all the time, not to mention freaked out.  

APny said:

 

 

Hi Suki. So sorry you have to be here. I also think that most likely your doctor will recommend that it comes out, regardless of whether it’s a cyst or RCC. I had a partial neph for a 3.5 x 3 something tumor and I did discuss cryo ablation with my oncologist/surgeon but was talked out of it. The reason he gave is that ablation is more for elderly people who are high risk for surgery, and that the gold standard for RCC is partial or full nephrectomy. If I remember correctly (it’s been four years) it’s impossible to do pathology after an ablation because it destroys the tumor. And you can’t establish clear margins for that same reason. I may not remember correctly after all this time but definitely discuss the pros and cons of ablation vs. surgery.

 If you have to have surgery try not to worry. Mine was an open partial and nothing as bad as I had feared. Wouldn’t want to do it again but my fears and imagination were way worse than the reality. I was out of the hospital on the third day and up and walking the night of the surgery. The fourth day I was home, sitting at my computer doing work.

 All the best to you and go with the most experienced surgeon! Even if it turns out not to be a cyst it's most likely stage 1 and the surgery will be the end of it.

 

The MRI is finally done, I woke up with a head cold, but forced myself to go through with it. Now just waiting for results, the kidney specialist's nurse said they'd call me Monday.  It's so helpful to hear other experiences, thank you so very much for the response. It's going to be a LONG weekend! 

Hi Jan,

I will get a digital report, uploaded to my patient portal, that I can print so I have a "hard copy".  I'm glad you reminded me to call and have them send me a disc, I forgot to ask them yesterday! Thanks for the calming vibes, I really need them this weekend! 

so they just want to repeat an MRI with contrast in 6 months.  Should I be getting another opinion?  The MRI put the size at 4.4cm, which is a bit smaller than the ultrsound size of 4.9cm. At this size, if it was cancer, couldn't they definitnely tell on the MRI?  Also, I asked the nurse the Bosniak classification and she claims that there is no Bosniak scale for MRI, only for CT.  This is Northwestern in Chicago, and it's Dr. Daniel Dalton.