Complex Renal Cyst

Jblasberg

HI,

Any information you can share will be gratefully appreciated. 45yr old Female. I'm a Registered Nurse so I know enough to be concerned. Aug 5th I was having abdominal pain thought possibly appendicitis, went to ER and they completed a CT with contrast. I did not have appendicitis and they did not find the cause of my abdominal pain that I continue to have occasionally. They did find 1.9 cm mass on my Left kidney (26 Hounsfield) that they suggested I follow up with MRI.

Oct 5th had MRI with Contrast. They found the Mass had increased in size 2mm in 2 months, now 2.1cm. Not sure how exact these measurements are, I'd assume pretty accurate. They classified it as Complex Cyst Bosniak 2F, hyperintense signals, thin internal septation with enhancement. They also found 2 other spots in left kidney hyperintense but only measuring 9mm each. They also found 1.5cm mass on right kidney hypointense, thin internal septation with no enhancement, and a few additional hyperintense signal lesions are present in both kidneys.

Radiologist suggested MRI follow up in 6months. I'm not sure how comfortable I am with this seeing how its already grown in 2 months and there are so many of them. Also, my Paternal grandmother passed at 69yrs old from renal cell cancer. Should I ask my primary care doctor for a referral to urologists at least? They don't seem concerned due to the size. In conjunction with this I have been having dizziness, fatigue, night sweats, blurred vision and recently had a UTI which I haven't had one of those in years. Any information would be helpful.

Thank You 😊

spaniel

Also an RN here (retired). I have my Bosnian II F complex cysts followed annually by sono as there have been no significant changes in size over oh let’s say since 1998? But indeed I did have MRIs pretty frequently at first. Certainly I had a urologist and I think you should too. I still see one once a year (now a NP from a very decent school).But for years I saw urologist who also had much expertise in cancer. Here’s a few things: 1. As you suggest, the family hx may be relevant 2. Perhaps the urologist may want to see the MRI him/herself. 3. The doc may order UA etc etc which I assume has been done . This was the reason for my first ct in 1998 (urine heme). I remember when my first CT was read the resident actually called me at home. He apparently “overread” my report according to my urologist. But I don’t think you would lose anything to get a urologist referral. I am on this board now for a totally different reason (simply cant get a derm appt for spouse and I strongly suspect melanoma). But good luck to you. Oh one more thing- if the same radiologist reads your stuff, its a plus in my opinion.

eug91

Welcome jblasberg,

I can see why the radiologist would suggest the 6 month follow-up. That's pretty standard practice. The difference between 1.9cm and 2.1cm could be chalked up as margin-of-error/imprecise measurement, as opposed to rapid growth. And the odds of a cancer spreading at a size below 4cm is low/nil.

That being said, if it was me in your shoes, I would speak up and express your concerns and ask for the referral to the urologist. It's your health, and with your family history, I would rather be extra cautious. It still might be nothing, but you'll want to know.

Good luck!

Jblasberg

Thank you for your comments. I have a referral to a Urologist. 😊