Should I biospy

Clmac

sblairc said:

You hit the nail on the head. skip nephrologist

Exactly why you should skip the nephrologist. It's small, but SO WHAT? You still need an appropriate standard of care. I don't think it sounds like seeing a nephrologist first is a good use of your time. And, you can always see one later. Don't waste your valuable time seeing a nephrologist first. 

Just called again

I called just now, again..and left a message for doctor telling her I don't want nephrology first...

APny

Clmac, do you need a referal

Clmac, do you need a referal to see a urologist because of insurance reasons? If not, just look for a urologic oncologist that takes your insurance and make an appointment, bringing along all your scan results on a CD. You should be able to get them from the place that did them, along with a written report. You said you live in a rural area but even if you have to travel it's worth it. Please get proactive on your own behalf and look for someone. 

todd121

APny said:

Clmac, do you need a referal

Clmac, do you need a referal to see a urologist because of insurance reasons? If not, just look for a urologic oncologist that takes your insurance and make an appointment, bringing along all your scan results on a CD. You should be able to get them from the place that did them, along with a written report. You said you live in a rural area but even if you have to travel it's worth it. Please get proactive on your own behalf and look for someone. 

Advice

It's good advice. If you don't need her referral, find a urologic oncologist yourself.

This is what I did. From ER I found a nearby university medical school, looked online at their urologists and found the best qualified (head of the department that was a urologic oncologist) then called directly and made an appointment.

You can get a copy of the CD with your scan directly from the radiology department where you had the scan. You can also have them mail it directly to the doctor's office.

Hope this all helps.

Let us know.

Best,

Todd

amyjoe23

lcsvb said:

I agree with Icemantoo

Go straight to the Urologist. Most of the time a biopsy is not done because they are not very reliable. Most of us here had the "suspected RCC mass" surgically removed and then biopsied. I highly recommend a trip to a nearby urologist, especially if there is a cancer center you can get in at.

What do you mean it's not very reliable? My husband had a kidney biopsy 2 weeks ago, and it came back clear cell renal cell carcinoma? We already knew he had cancer, and I didn't understand why they had to do a biopsy.

foxhd

if it

walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck.......it needs to be removed sooner rather than later.  So refuse any biopsy. They will do that once it is removed. Sometimes I think people forget that we are playing with our lives not monopoly money. Now is the time to be vocal and uncompromising.

todd121

amyjoe23 said:

What do you mean it's not very reliable? My husband had a kidney biopsy 2 weeks ago, and it came back clear cell renal cell carcinoma? We already knew he had cancer, and I didn't understand why they had to do a biopsy.

Biopsy

A positive tells you something. A negative can mean they missed the tumor, missed the spot, missed cancer cells in the tumor. Kidneys are filters. They aren't very solid. Tumors can have odd shapes, pockets of healthy tissue, etc. Biopsies are not an exact science.

A biopsy to find out what kind of cancer is important. Kidney cancer can be in the lungs, liver, brain, bones. The treatment for kidney cancer is completely different than the treatment for lung cancer. In fact, even different types of kidney cancer are treated differently (as are different types of lung cancer, breast cancer, etc.). They absolutely need to know what kind of cancer they are treating. Biopsy or removing the tumor and looking at it sliced up under a microscope is the best way (the last is the absolute best) to know what they are dealing with.

Regards,

Todd