Kidney Cancer / Post Surgery

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  • canadiancruiser
    canadiancruiser Member Posts: 14
    #22
    kidney cancer/post surgery

    HELLO

    i HAD PART OF MY RIGHT KIDNEY ON SEPT 13,2012. HAD MY 6 MONTH CHECK UP AND ALL IS GOOD SO FAR.IT HAS TAKEN SOME TIME TO GET BACK TO DOING NORMAL THINGS AS I WAS IDLE FOR OVER 6 WEEKS AND WAS WEAK.IT TAKES TIME TO GET THINGS WORKING AND ONE BIG ONE IS YOUR MIND.. ALOT OF CRAZY THINGS GO THUR IT AND PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND UNLESS THEY HERE THE WORDS YOU HAVE CANCER.GLAD PEOPLE ARE DOING GOOD AND LIVING LONGER AS I PLAN ON IT..  GOOD LUCK EVERYONE 

     

     

     

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #23
    canadiancruiser said:

    kidney cancer/post surgery

    HELLO

    i HAD PART OF MY RIGHT KIDNEY ON SEPT 13,2012. HAD MY 6 MONTH CHECK UP AND ALL IS GOOD SO FAR.IT HAS TAKEN SOME TIME TO GET BACK TO DOING NORMAL THINGS AS I WAS IDLE FOR OVER 6 WEEKS AND WAS WEAK.IT TAKES TIME TO GET THINGS WORKING AND ONE BIG ONE IS YOUR MIND.. ALOT OF CRAZY THINGS GO THUR IT AND PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND UNLESS THEY HERE THE WORDS YOU HAVE CANCER.GLAD PEOPLE ARE DOING GOOD AND LIVING LONGER AS I PLAN ON IT..  GOOD LUCK EVERYONE 

     

     

     

    Welcome

    Welcome Canadian cruiser. Hope you are doing well.  I was downtown yesterday and looked due South across the river and you guessed it Oh Canada.

     

    Icemantoo

  • beemurguia
    beemurguia Member Posts: 57
    #24

    Well looks like I have been hit with the "C" word! which led to my Urologist to candidly tell me that my right kidney has to go! The tumor practically the size of the kidney itself.  He is optimistic that by removing the kidney that no chemo or radiation needed.  He of course then overwhelmed me with a great description of the anatomy and my images which I think is great but at the moment I could not come up with questions.  Now Im researching and wanted to touch base with any one who has gone through anything similar to this.  Im concerned about the staging...and the likelyhood that it has spread although chest xray so far looks clear...but im thinking more on a microscopic level....i mean the cancerous cells may be floating around right? and then eventually grow into a mass elsewhere? A lot to take in right now...

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #25
    Welcone

    bee,

     

    Welcome to the club which no one in their right mind would volunteer to join. The doctor suggesting you will be cured by surgey alone suggests you have a small tumor. A tumor almost the size of your kidney depends on whether the doctor is referring to the length, width or thickness of your kidney. A clear chest xray means their are no lung nodules larger than 8mm. Smaller lung nodules many of which are unrelated to Kidney Cancer can show up on a chest CT. In order for those  of us to respond to your post appropriately (without being too optomistic or pessimistic) it would be helpful if you gave the size of the suspected tumor in  cm., fill in yoour my CSN space and start a new forum post. All of us have gone thru what you are going thru now. I was nephed almost 15 years ago.

     

     

    icemantoo

  • Jesuit1234
    Jesuit1234 Member Posts: 6
    edited January 2021 #26
    7.1 cm renal cell carcinoma suspected mass in my left kidney

    Hi,

    I am petrified to go and get my left kidney removed.   I have seen 3 surgeons so far.

    Surgeon #1 --- Insisted that the kidney must be removed.  "No partial".  Not much explanation.

    Surgeon #2 --- Said that she could do a partial with "No problem".  She decided not to reveal to me how many years or procedures that she has done and then declined the surgery.

    Surgeon #3 --- Fully explained that even if he wanted to do a partial there would only be remnants left of my kidney.  He looked me straight in the eye and was very intelligent.  I decided on the spot that he was the correct surgeon for the job.  I was originally diagnosed by chance with a solid enhancing mass in the lower left pole of hte left kidney measuring 5.9 cm x 6.1 cm x 7.1 cm by a CT scan of the abdomen.  A subsequent MRI showed the same thing showing a smaller measurement of apx 1 cm for the mass.

    I also understand that it has not spread to anywhere else in my body and is  encapsulated in the kidney.

    Additionally I went for testing and was informed that my left kidney is functioning at 47% and my right kidney is functioning at 52%.  After discussing this with a kidney Doctor and the Urologist surgeon both of them concluded that I will not need dialysis.

    I understand that there is a possibility for this to be benign.

    Is there any other technology that exists to determine if this is benign or cancerous ?  I understand that the surgeons do not want to do a biopsy because of the risk of "seeding".

    Is there any other technology or treatment available to shrink the tumor without having any surgery ?

    Any comments or professional opionions would be greatly appreciated.  

    My surgery is scheduled for February 04, 2021.

    Thank you,

    Andrew

     

     

  • Deanie0916
    Deanie0916 Member Posts: 628 Member
    edited January 2021 #27
    Jesuit1234 said:

    7.1 cm renal cell carcinoma suspected mass in my left kidney

    Hi,

    I am petrified to go and get my left kidney removed.   I have seen 3 surgeons so far.

    Surgeon #1 --- Insisted that the kidney must be removed.  "No partial".  Not much explanation.

    Surgeon #2 --- Said that she could do a partial with "No problem".  She decided not to reveal to me how many years or procedures that she has done and then declined the surgery.

    Surgeon #3 --- Fully explained that even if he wanted to do a partial there would only be remnants left of my kidney.  He looked me straight in the eye and was very intelligent.  I decided on the spot that he was the correct surgeon for the job.  I was originally diagnosed by chance with a solid enhancing mass in the lower left pole of hte left kidney measuring 5.9 cm x 6.1 cm x 7.1 cm by a CT scan of the abdomen.  A subsequent MRI showed the same thing showing a smaller measurement of apx 1 cm for the mass.

    I also understand that it has not spread to anywhere else in my body and is  encapsulated in the kidney.

    Additionally I went for testing and was informed that my left kidney is functioning at 47% and my right kidney is functioning at 52%.  After discussing this with a kidney Doctor and the Urologist surgeon both of them concluded that I will not need dialysis.

    I understand that there is a possibility for this to be benign.

    Is there any other technology that exists to determine if this is benign or cancerous ?  I understand that the surgeons do not want to do a biopsy because of the risk of "seeding".

    Is there any other technology or treatment available to shrink the tumor without having any surgery ?

    Any comments or professional opionions would be greatly appreciated.  

    My surgery is scheduled for February 04, 2021.

    Thank you,

    Andrew

     

     

    Hi Andrew

    Sorry you have this news and have to make these decisions. It would be good if you start a new post. But for what it's worth there are so many people on here (including me) that are living good lives with one kidney. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Please keep us updated!

  • Bay Area Guy
    Bay Area Guy Member Posts: 620 Member
    edited January 2021 #28
    Jesuit1234 said:

    7.1 cm renal cell carcinoma suspected mass in my left kidney

    Hi,

    I am petrified to go and get my left kidney removed.   I have seen 3 surgeons so far.

    Surgeon #1 --- Insisted that the kidney must be removed.  "No partial".  Not much explanation.

    Surgeon #2 --- Said that she could do a partial with "No problem".  She decided not to reveal to me how many years or procedures that she has done and then declined the surgery.

    Surgeon #3 --- Fully explained that even if he wanted to do a partial there would only be remnants left of my kidney.  He looked me straight in the eye and was very intelligent.  I decided on the spot that he was the correct surgeon for the job.  I was originally diagnosed by chance with a solid enhancing mass in the lower left pole of hte left kidney measuring 5.9 cm x 6.1 cm x 7.1 cm by a CT scan of the abdomen.  A subsequent MRI showed the same thing showing a smaller measurement of apx 1 cm for the mass.

    I also understand that it has not spread to anywhere else in my body and is  encapsulated in the kidney.

    Additionally I went for testing and was informed that my left kidney is functioning at 47% and my right kidney is functioning at 52%.  After discussing this with a kidney Doctor and the Urologist surgeon both of them concluded that I will not need dialysis.

    I understand that there is a possibility for this to be benign.

    Is there any other technology that exists to determine if this is benign or cancerous ?  I understand that the surgeons do not want to do a biopsy because of the risk of "seeding".

    Is there any other technology or treatment available to shrink the tumor without having any surgery ?

    Any comments or professional opionions would be greatly appreciated.  

    My surgery is scheduled for February 04, 2021.

    Thank you,

    Andrew

     

     

    Hi Andrew.  Sorry you had to

    Hi Andrew.  Sorry you had to join us.  This is a great, supportive group.

    I'm familiar with only three procedures.  First is surgery.  I had a partial, but for a much smaller lesion.  Surgery is still the gold standard for treatment.  Second is biopsy.  My sister is a nurse practitioner and, like the surgeons you spoke with, she recommended against the biopsy for the same reason.....seeding.  The third is ablation, either cryo (freezing) or radio frequency ("cooking).  My surgery was almost five years ago, so things on the ablation front may have changed.  At the time, I seem to recall that ablation was only used for tumors 4cm and under.  Ablation, also at the time, had a success rate in the mid-90% range while surgery was, for all intents and purposes, curative for lesions my size.  Again, I doubt ablation would even be practical for your situation.

    There are some other drug based therapies that others in this group are far, far more knowledgeable about, as my knowledge is limited to the fact that the treatments exist, and that's it.

    In terms of selecting your surgeon, comfort and confidence in your choice is an extremely important factor.  It sounds like you have found one that fits that description, so you can be pleased about that.

    Others will likely chime in with additional thoughts.  Hopes and prayers that you have a successful treatment.

  • eug91
    eug91 Member Posts: 471 Member
    #29
    Jesuit1234 said:

    7.1 cm renal cell carcinoma suspected mass in my left kidney

    Hi,

    I am petrified to go and get my left kidney removed.   I have seen 3 surgeons so far.

    Surgeon #1 --- Insisted that the kidney must be removed.  "No partial".  Not much explanation.

    Surgeon #2 --- Said that she could do a partial with "No problem".  She decided not to reveal to me how many years or procedures that she has done and then declined the surgery.

    Surgeon #3 --- Fully explained that even if he wanted to do a partial there would only be remnants left of my kidney.  He looked me straight in the eye and was very intelligent.  I decided on the spot that he was the correct surgeon for the job.  I was originally diagnosed by chance with a solid enhancing mass in the lower left pole of hte left kidney measuring 5.9 cm x 6.1 cm x 7.1 cm by a CT scan of the abdomen.  A subsequent MRI showed the same thing showing a smaller measurement of apx 1 cm for the mass.

    I also understand that it has not spread to anywhere else in my body and is  encapsulated in the kidney.

    Additionally I went for testing and was informed that my left kidney is functioning at 47% and my right kidney is functioning at 52%.  After discussing this with a kidney Doctor and the Urologist surgeon both of them concluded that I will not need dialysis.

    I understand that there is a possibility for this to be benign.

    Is there any other technology that exists to determine if this is benign or cancerous ?  I understand that the surgeons do not want to do a biopsy because of the risk of "seeding".

    Is there any other technology or treatment available to shrink the tumor without having any surgery ?

    Any comments or professional opionions would be greatly appreciated.  

    My surgery is scheduled for February 04, 2021.

    Thank you,

    Andrew

     

     

    welcome-

    Sorry you had to join us, but this is a great forum here. Ask us anything and we'll try to help. We've been through what you're going through, so we know you're going to do great, too. 

    Adding to the terrific info above-

    As for your question about shrinking the tumor without surgery, in most cases, surgery is the prefered way to go. In some cases before surgery, they'll use immunotherapy to attempt to shrink the tumor - if the tumor is in a bad spot or if there are other circumstances like poor health. This path isn't common, though - since there could be side-effects for the treatment, there's no guarantee that it will shrink the tumor, and because it might be better to get the tumor out of you while it's still encapsulated in one spot. But you could always bring this up with your doctor and ask. 

    Good luck! We're here for you! 

     

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    edited January 2021 #30
    Surgery is the answer.

    At 7.1 cm. get it out. Not likely to be benigm at that size.Mine was a little smaller back in 2002.

     

     

     

    ocemantoo

  • AliceB1950
    AliceB1950 Member Posts: 244 Member
    #31
    My unwelcome passenger was 7

    My unwelcome passenger was 7 cm x about 6 cm - about the size of an extra large egg. I had a total laparoscopic nephrectomy in September of 2018, and went home the next day. What is it that scares you most about the surgery?  It hurts for a while, but I've had I think 9 surgeries and this was nothing compared to my hip replacement and a knee repair. With a nephrectomy, they get you up and walking the same day or next morning, and walking is what gets you back to normal - plus drinking lots of water. A surgeon I was seeing the same year for a different issue had served on a kidney transplant team for one of her residencies, and she reminded me that it's basically the same surgery the donors go through. Do you watch American Ninja Warrior? One of the top contenders the last few seasons is a kidney donor.

  • Jesuit1234
    Jesuit1234 Member Posts: 6
    edited January 2021 #32
    AliceB1950 said:

    My unwelcome passenger was 7

    My unwelcome passenger was 7 cm x about 6 cm - about the size of an extra large egg. I had a total laparoscopic nephrectomy in September of 2018, and went home the next day. What is it that scares you most about the surgery?  It hurts for a while, but I've had I think 9 surgeries and this was nothing compared to my hip replacement and a knee repair. With a nephrectomy, they get you up and walking the same day or next morning, and walking is what gets you back to normal - plus drinking lots of water. A surgeon I was seeing the same year for a different issue had served on a kidney transplant team for one of her residencies, and she reminded me that it's basically the same surgery the donors go through. Do you watch American Ninja Warrior? One of the top contenders the last few seasons is a kidney donor.

    Hi

    HI,

    I am afraid of even getting surgery.  Being put under and the possibility of complications.

    Also I am concerned because my GFR is 60 for the right kidney which puts it on the absolute low end of normal.  Now it is going to be taxed to do the job of the kidney that is being removed also.  

    I really thought that since it is 2021 that there could be a sure fire way to determine if it is cancerous or not.  There is no history of this type or any type of cancer in my family.  I am 61.  

     

  • Jesuit1234
    Jesuit1234 Member Posts: 6
    edited January 2021 #33
    icemantoo said:

    Surgery is the answer.

    At 7.1 cm. get it out. Not likely to be benigm at that size.Mine was a little smaller back in 2002.

     

     

     

    ocemantoo

    2002

    Hi,

    Thank you for responding.

    So no re occurance of any cancer on your other kidney ?

    And it will be 20 years which is extremely encouraging. 

     

     

  • Bay Area Guy
    Bay Area Guy Member Posts: 620 Member
    edited January 2021 #34
    Jesuit1234 said:

    Hi

    HI,

    I am afraid of even getting surgery.  Being put under and the possibility of complications.

    Also I am concerned because my GFR is 60 for the right kidney which puts it on the absolute low end of normal.  Now it is going to be taxed to do the job of the kidney that is being removed also.  

    I really thought that since it is 2021 that there could be a sure fire way to determine if it is cancerous or not.  There is no history of this type or any type of cancer in my family.  I am 61.  

     

    Surgery is never fun.  I've

    Surgery is never fun.  I've had fhere in my lifetime.  The first two were all abdominal surgeries to take care of intestines which had twisted and shut down my digestive tract.  As both were emergency surgeries, and I was on pain meds both times, I had no knowledge of the surgery until I woke up in the recovery room.  I found out I needed the kidney surgery in mid-April and the operation wasn't scheduled until mid-June, so I had two months to stew over that one.  Like you, I was scared, but having gone through the other two, I found it easier to control my emotions.  A couple of suggestions:

    1.  Try to get in as good a physical condition as possible.  I'm a gym rat, and I kept it up until the day before the surgery.  Being in better physical condition helps your recovery a lot.

    2.  If you're underseight, try to eat more so you gain to a healthy weight.  I'm normally about 170.  I ate more in those two months to get up to 180.  Why?  You're going to lose weight in the time you're in the hospital.  Having a little bit to give up means you'll be in a better state for your recovery after the surgery.

     

  • AliceB1950
    AliceB1950 Member Posts: 244 Member
    edited January 2021 #35
    You have a big piece of crap

    You have a big piece of crap on one kidney, which is a major reason why your GFR is low. My numbers since surgery (anywhere from 30s through 50s) on my remaining kidney put me at stage 3 kidney disease, which kind of freaked me out until I saw a nephrologist, who explained that my numbers are just fine for running on one kidney and what they look for is consistency in the numbers. Your best bet is to have one healthy kidney rather than a cancerous one dragging them both down. Every one of us here has had either a total or partial nephrectomy (there may be a tiny percentage who went for ablation, but it doesn't sound like you're a good candidate for that). Although Bay Area Guy's advice is probably good, I was a flabby 68-year-old when I had my surgery, and like I told you before, I went home the next morning. I walked around the house that week, and the next week I was hiking (okay, a little slowly) in the woods and following it up by going out to dinner (pre-Covid days). The best advice I got for a different surgery that year: You don't have to be brave, you just have to show up.

  • Kreynolds1968
    Kreynolds1968 Member Posts: 3
    edited January 2021 #36
    Spot in adrenal gland seen on CT one year post nephrectomy

    The CT finding indicates indeterminate nodule in middle of adrenal gland with findings of small rcc metastisis vs scar tissue from nephrectomy last November.  The nodule was only 14mm. My follow up CT with contrast is tomorrow.  Has anyone else had scar tissue appear as nodule in the adrenal gland?

  • AliceB1950
    AliceB1950 Member Posts: 244 Member
    edited January 2021 #37
    Kreynolds1968 said:

    Spot in adrenal gland seen on CT one year post nephrectomy

    The CT finding indicates indeterminate nodule in middle of adrenal gland with findings of small rcc metastisis vs scar tissue from nephrectomy last November.  The nodule was only 14mm. My follow up CT with contrast is tomorrow.  Has anyone else had scar tissue appear as nodule in the adrenal gland?

    I think you'll get more

    I think you'll get more responses if you start your own thread. I had a PET scan in 2019, about seven months after my nephrectomy. The adrenal gland lit up, so a biopsy was scheduled. It was just scar tissue. But my urologist gives subsequent scans a good hard look to make sure the size hasn't increased, just to be on the safe side.

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