Others w/ Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma Grade ?

Tom, getting additional opinions is good... but... BUT, keep in mind there are like 300 different diseases all called Cancer.  Next about 8% of all Cancers are Kidney Cancers... then a small percent of those are Papillary.  Oncology is generic or sorts.  There is NO ONE Oncologist that knows about all 300 different types of Cancer.. no way...  So, the first question I suggest you ask, is how many Papillary patients does this doctor see a year..?  If you are the only one, then do not expect much.  You may have to travel to get someone with a reasonable amount of Papillary experience.  Sorry there is no way to sugar coat it.  This is a difficult choice for you.. but too important to leave to chance.  There are some great Oncologists out there... find the one that you think will help you the best.  Or at a minimum find a local Oncologist that is willing to work with someone with more experise.

Good Luck,

Ron

Hi TBuck....

Papillary renal cell carcinoma, stage 4, T2N3Mx, Grade 3.  Diaqgnosis 4/09. 
Surgery to remove kidney, mass in inferior vena cava, and several affected lymph nodes.  Margins clear (at that time).
Surgery to reove single lung met, 2011.

New lung mets appeared, 2012.

Interleukin 2, Lung mets size increased

Votrient-- Lung met size increased, spread to lymph nodes

LY2873857 (?) trial drug--- Mets increased.

Inlyta-- Mets increased

Sutent and Gemcitabine/Gemzar -- administerd off-trial.  Current treatment with mixed results so far.  All lung and lymph mets shrinking, one necrotic met in chest, but 2 new small mets in lung.

The best advice I can offer you is to drop all refined sugar.  No physician or oncologist has told me sugar is bad for your kidneys, and they were serving up plenty of sugar in the hospital.  Yet, I have read many times where it is not good for your kidneys-- and if I only have one left, I need to take care of it.

Ask each doctor how many patients they have treated with pRCC, and what treatments and trials are available for this specific type of kidney cancer.  Ask which first line treatment he would recommend.  There are many  therapies/treatments, but pRCC doesn't necessarily respond to all of them. 

I drastically changed my diet- became vegetarian, dropped refined sugars, and I don't eat or cook with processed oils. I juice at least three times each day. I also use other holistic or natural methods of caring for my health.