New here, seeking help

rebecca9892
rebecca9892 Member Posts: 10
in Kidney Cancer #1

Hi, I am hoping I can get some advices from your guys regarding my kidney problem. I am a 30-year old female. ustrasound and CT were done two weeks ago and a 3 cm solid mass found on my right kidney upper pole. Radiologist thinks RCC is unusual of my age but he could not be sure what it is. Then my specialist referred me to do a renal biopsy on 24/1/13. Yesterday my specialist rang  and told me the 3 samples taken from my biopsy could not be used and I need to do another one in six weeks time. Now I am so depressed and don’t know what to do? I have so many questions I like to ask my specialist, like

1.     would biopsy increase the chance of spreading the cancer?

2.     doctor took 3 samples in the biopsy. why the samples can not be used

3.     what if the samples of second biopsy can not be used again

4.     what are the risks of doing biopsy twice

but I don’t know if I am asking the key questions and if not, what else I should ask him.

 

It is highly appreciated if you could give me some advices.

 

Thanks in advance,

Comments

  • todd121
    todd121 Member Posts: 1,448 Member
    #2
    Welcome

    Hi Rebecca. Sorry you're having this problem. I found I had a mass of 6.8 cm about 12 weeks ago and ended up having my right kidney removed. It was RCC. But I'm 50.

    My doctor was a urologist-oncologist specializing in kidney cancer. What kind of specialist were you referred to?

    I've read/heard that they don't usually biopsy renal masses. My doctor's website explains it here: http://www.kidneycancerinstitute.com/biopsy.html in case you'd like to read it. However, I remember that we had a young person here just last month that I think they wanted to biopsy it, because they thought it might be a different kind of a tumor than RCC, a Wilms tumor, which is more treatable with drugs than RCC. However, your age is sort of in the middle.

    My advice is to get another opinion with a specialist that is a urologic oncologist or an RCC oncologist if you can before you do another biopsy. Was the CT scan done with or without contrast? I was told they can usually tell from looking at a ct with contrast whether or not it's a tumor and needs to be removed. Yours is small, which is good. A small tumor like yours that is wholly in the kidney has a good chance of being removed with a good prognosis.

    Get another opinion.

    Good luck,

    Todd

  • todd121
    todd121 Member Posts: 1,448 Member
    #3
    By the way...

    I'd ask these exact questions to your doctor! They should be answering your questions. The fact that they aren't, or that you feel you can ask them here and not there, indicates to me you really need to get another opinion/see another doctor. Good doctors have told me that "good" doctors never mind when someone gets another opinion. If they mind, then you don't want that doctor.

    Todd

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #4
    Biopsy

    Rebecca,

    Unlike other Cancers there is a difference of opinion among the specialists regarding doing a biopsy where RCC is expected. . Uually the evidence of RCC is very clear from the CT scan and the surgery proceeds with a 95% chance of it being malignant. There have been a few  other guys and gals who have joined are club at your age, but most of us started in the 50 to 70 range. What you do not want to do is have the tumor grow during this waiting. Surgery is a compete cure almost all of the time for tumors under 4 cm.

    I was almost twice your age (59) when I had my surgery 10 and 1/2 years ago. Those of you much younger usually have a much easier time as far as recovery. Your worst case scenerio right now is the surgery which should be a total cure along with a few extra pokes from an icepick or whahever they use for a biopsy (just kidding about the ice pick).

    There ls some information about biopsys on the Kidney Cancer Association website and on the website for Cleveland Clinic where they have a downloadable pamplet on Kidney Cancer.

    PS  Neither I or most of the club members had Biopsys.

     

    Icemantoo

  • MedScanMan
    MedScanMan Member Posts: 107
    #5
    icemantoo said:

    Biopsy

    Rebecca,

    Unlike other Cancers there is a difference of opinion among the specialists regarding doing a biopsy where RCC is expected. . Uually the evidence of RCC is very clear from the CT scan and the surgery proceeds with a 95% chance of it being malignant. There have been a few  other guys and gals who have joined are club at your age, but most of us started in the 50 to 70 range. What you do not want to do is have the tumor grow during this waiting. Surgery is a compete cure almost all of the time for tumors under 4 cm.

    I was almost twice your age (59) when I had my surgery 10 and 1/2 years ago. Those of you much younger usually have a much easier time as far as recovery. Your worst case scenerio right now is the surgery which should be a total cure along with a few extra pokes from an icepick or whahever they use for a biopsy (just kidding about the ice pick).

    There ls some information about biopsys on the Kidney Cancer Association website and on the website for Cleveland Clinic where they have a downloadable pamplet on Kidney Cancer.

    PS  Neither I or most of the club members had Biopsys.

     

    Icemantoo

    Biopsy

    Hello Rebecca

     

    I'm wondering what type of facility you had your biopsy done at.  As an out patient in a hospital or a diagnostic center?  I've done dozens of renal biopsy procedures, all CT guided, but before allowing the patient to get up off the table.....or even move, we always immediately sent the specimen up to the pathologist to make sure he had what he needed.  We wouldn’t even begin the procedure unless the pathologist was in the building and no more than three minutes from the lab.  Why they would call you back, I don't get.  If your post contrast images showed delayed enhancement of the mass then it's probably a renal cell.  An MRI could be done to double check.  I think you need other opinions before you let them stick you again.  Just my opinion.  Wish you well.

     

    Jeff

     

  • Mimir
    Mimir Member Posts: 25
    #6
    Fellow young person

    I am that young guy that Todd refrenced. I had the biopsy done and asked some of the same questions. From what I understand the opinion on biospsys has changed  in the more recent years. It used to be that docotrs thought the procedure was risky, but I was told  that now biopsys are  considered very safe and don't risk spreading the tumor.  I think the doctor is having you wait 6 weeks to give your body/kidney time to heal for the next biopsy so that there are no issues from having the procedure done twice.

  • rebecca9892
    rebecca9892 Member Posts: 10
    #7
    Hi Guys, Thanks so much for

    Hi Guys, Thanks so much for your promoptly reply. I am in Australia not in US. I guess the biopsy procedure is different from what your guys had in US. I got my result in 2 days later.

    My specialist is an urologist and when he told me I need to do another biopsy my brain stopped working for at least 10 second. I did not even ask him why the sample could not be used. I have asked him to ring me tomorrow and hopefully he could answer my questions over the phone.

    I will see my GP after work and see if he can recommend another Urologist to me. I am afraid the tumar will grow bigger in 6 weeks time. I do need a second opinion.

  • todd121
    todd121 Member Posts: 1,448 Member
    #8
    rebecca9892 said:

    Hi Guys, Thanks so much for

    Hi Guys, Thanks so much for your promoptly reply. I am in Australia not in US. I guess the biopsy procedure is different from what your guys had in US. I got my result in 2 days later.

    My specialist is an urologist and when he told me I need to do another biopsy my brain stopped working for at least 10 second. I did not even ask him why the sample could not be used. I have asked him to ring me tomorrow and hopefully he could answer my questions over the phone.

    I will see my GP after work and see if he can recommend another Urologist to me. I am afraid the tumar will grow bigger in 6 weeks time. I do need a second opinion.

    Tumor Growth

    It isn't something to delay taking care of, but a few weeks probably won't matter. My understanding is that these tumors grow from 0.1 to 0.8 cm per year. As long as it isn't close to the veins/arteries and the growth rate is in this range, a few weeks is probably not a big deal. Still, I'd get it taken care of as soon as you can.

    Todd

  • rebecca9892
    rebecca9892 Member Posts: 10
    #9
    Mimir said:

    Fellow young person

    I am that young guy that Todd refrenced. I had the biopsy done and asked some of the same questions. From what I understand the opinion on biospsys has changed  in the more recent years. It used to be that docotrs thought the procedure was risky, but I was told  that now biopsys are  considered very safe and don't risk spreading the tumor.  I think the doctor is having you wait 6 weeks to give your body/kidney time to heal for the next biopsy so that there are no issues from having the procedure done twice.

    Fellow Young person

    Thanks all for your kind replies. My GP has faxed all my info. to another urologist and I am waiting for the confirmation of appointment.

    Mimir, would you mind I ask if you have got your biopsy result? Was the tumor a benign? My GP thinks the lesion is not threatening but he still recommended to see another urologist.

  • Mimir
    Mimir Member Posts: 25
    #10
    rebecca9892 said:

    Fellow Young person

    Thanks all for your kind replies. My GP has faxed all my info. to another urologist and I am waiting for the confirmation of appointment.

    Mimir, would you mind I ask if you have got your biopsy result? Was the tumor a benign? My GP thinks the lesion is not threatening but he still recommended to see another urologist.

    Biopsy

    I did get my biopsy result.  From that they told me it was defintily cancer, but they didn't tell me much else. I will probably ( 5 weeks after surgery) be getting my pathology report this week.  

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