Scared & Worried! :(

todd121 said:

Staging and Tumor Size

I've seen this said a couple of times about size and staging, and it's not accurate. Forgive me, but I think we just have to be really accurate about this. The stages are very well defined.

Stage 3 refers not to size, but whether the cancer has exited the kidney either outside the kidney, but usually/often by invading veins or arteries inside the kidney. If it has, but is only 1 tumor in the kidney, it's stage 3. If it has not (the tumor is 1 tumor, fully contained but has not grown outside the kidney either outside the kidney proper, or into the veins or arteries in the kidney) then it's divided by size. Stage 1 if the tumor is < 7 cm. Stage 2 if the tumor >= 7 cm.

Quite often the really large tumors have grown into the veins, so a tumor as large as 11 cm is quite often Stage 3, but not necessarily. And small tumors can be Stage 3, depending on their location.

My tumor was 6.8 cm, but Stage 3 because it had grown into some of the tiny veins. That's why I paid such close attention to this criteria. At first I was diagnosed Stage 1, but when the pathology came back I was Stage 3 and it was not because my tumor was larger, but because they found it inside some of the tiny veins.

An 11 cm tumor is definitely NOT stage 1. It's at least stage 2. He might have been eligible for adjuvant therapy drug trials, but none have been proven to be effective so it's doubtful it would have helped.

Stage and Grade are important for prognosis and follow-up care.

Todd

I had partial lap done on April 21st . the path said it was a 1b sage 1, just curious . thanks 

kajunnana said:

Hello everyone its been

Hello everyone its been awhile since I wrote. It's been a little crazy to say the least! Kennth did well during surgery they did the kidney first then the bladder. That was the longest 2 hours of my life!!! The dr. told me that we may have been able to go home the next day which would've been Thursday, but we ended up staying until Friday. Friday morning the dr came in & checked Kenneth and said he can go home! He also told us that the pathology report came back and the bladder cancer was what he expected, but the kidney was more aggressive than he thought! What a shocker!!! When we first went to this dr. he told me (after I asked a lot of questions) that after he would remove the tumor from the kidney that Kenneth would be cured! Well now he tells us that he has to watch him very closely.

But I have done every thing I need to do and we will be going to MD Anderson either this coming week or next. Maybe they will give us more information and check the spot on Kenneth lung, which his dr has never mentioned! So we are keeping our fingers crossed! 

Well, glad the surgery is over and went pretty straight forward.  You should get a copy of the Pathology report, this will explain things a little better. I had been quiet on the one comment you made, but perhaps it is time to tell you that currently there is no cure for Kidney Cancer. I do not know  what doctor said cured, but that sadly is not true.

 However there are some good treatments, should it recur.  Small tumors often never recur, but not always.  This is why regular follow ups are important.  How frequent usually depends on the Pathology report.  Still the future has a very bright light.  MDA is one of the best places to go to.  It is important that you stay with MDA if possible for follow ups.  They are experts.  Most local Oncologists do not have the needed Kidney Cancer experience.

Good Luck

Ron

GSRon said:

Sblairc... sorry,  but

Sblairc... sorry,  but surgery is not considered a cure for RCC, it is a treatment.  I have heard of doctors telling their patients they are cured.  Any doctor that says that needs to be ahem "slapped" on the wrist.  

However small / low grade tumors usually do not recur.  This is an important distinction of cured Vs no recurrance (or Mets).  And yes, the statistics are in the 90+% range for the low / low tumor Pathology.  But unless it is 100% then a recurrance is possible, which is why the follow up is important, regardless.  There are patients here that were told they were cured only to have a recurrance some time later.  Good follow up is meant to catch such recurrance early and thus make it easier to treat. 

Cured to many, implies no follow up is needed.  The correct term is either NED or NVED, for No Evidence of Disease, or No Visible Evidence of Disease.  Some lucky folks are NED forever.

Sorry if this bursts your bubble.. but it is, what it is.. 

Ron

Very well put, Ron. Thank! "Cured to many, implies no follow up is needed" This would be a huge mistake, with this sneaky scourge of a cancer that is for sure. We were lucky to have a GREAT surgeon that explained everything to us in realistic terms, and was very direct and forthcoming about the locally advanced nature of a T3a Stage (I hope I used the correct term here). 

Hi Amy, 

Just wondering how you and your family are doing. Thinking of you all.