RCC slow or fast growing?

Alygirl
Alygirl Member Posts: 8 Member
edited March 2022 in Kidney Cancer #1

Is RCC slow or fast growing? I have a 1.6 cm suspicious for RCC and a 6.2 simple cyst. Both are in left kidney.

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  • Bay Area Guy
    Bay Area Guy Member Posts: 619 Member
    edited March 2022 #2

    Hi Alygirl. Just saw your post having been away from the board for a while. When I was diagnosed with a malignant lesion about the same size as yours on my right kidney in late 2013, my urologic oncologist recommended active surveillance, meaning scans every six months (alternating CT and ultrasound to minimize radiation exposure). I asked specifically if doing so put me at more risk for growth or for spread. He said RCC is typically slow growing. I had scans for almost 2-1/2 years before one showed growth, and that was from an original size of about 1.7 cm to 1.8 cm. I had it removed in a partial in June, 2016. Now, my RCC was shown to be of chromophobe type, so others may have a different story.

    I also have a number of small simple cysts on my left kidney. No problems with those.

  • Alygirl
    Alygirl Member Posts: 8 Member
    #3

    Thank you for your message. Hope you are doing well. I’m still trying to learn about RCC. Can you please tell me what chromophobe type is? Did your cancer stay away after your partial in 2016? How large are your simple cysts?

  • Bay Area Guy
    Bay Area Guy Member Posts: 619 Member
    #4

    The cysts are quite small, about 1cm. I’m almost six years out from surgery and there’s been no evidence of disease (that’s the NED acronym you see here). I’ll have an ultrasound in June to keep my mind at ease, but the surgeon said surgery successfully treats this in over 99% of the cases.

    Chromophobe is a type of RCC. It’s very slow growing and almost never spreads. It’s one of a number of different types, but it requires either a biopsy (not recommended) or surgery to remove so pathologists can determine the type.

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