high risk

salsa
salsa Member Posts: 14
in Kidney Cancer #1

Doctor said I was considered high risk but I dont understand why or what that means exactly can I go from high risk to good risk? My first scan only showed tumor on kiddney and left side of liver I had surgery to remove kiddney and part of liver but by the next scan it had spread is this why?

Comments

  • Jan4you
    Jan4you Member Posts: 1,330 Member
    edited September 2017 #2
    So sorry for all you are

    So sorry for all you are going through. High risk may be due to the fact it reached your liver, perhaps?

    What does your oncologist think?

    And you may also want to try, SmartPatients.com for more responses. 

    Hang in there. We'll be here for you all the way! 

    Sending you HOPE with calming vibes and hugs,

    Jan

  • Supersum
    Supersum Member Posts: 109 Member
    edited September 2017 #3
    Hi Salsa I am sorry you are

    Hi Salsa I am sorry you are having to face this difficult challenge.

    In this situation it is best if you take a notepad and pen when you visit the doctor so you can ask questions and write down the answers about your diagnosis if he/she is unable to provide a printout and if you want to research your situation.

    There should have been a biopsy or test done on the kidney tumor when it was removed and a copy of this should be made available to you if you ask for it.

    It is difficult for people on a forum to know exactly what your doctor meant by certain terms, that is why they need to be explained.

    That said, as far as I understand, not all cancers are the same and high-risk might mean the cancer is more aggressive and more likely to spread than other types of cancers. This might be due to varying degrees, stages, sizes and types such as clear cell cancer, percentage of sarcomatoid differentiation, or aggressive molecules in the cancer (this is why the doctor needs to tell you if you want to know, an outsider cannot know this).

    For treatment it is important to know if the cancer is high-risk because this can impact on the type of treatment and the level of surveiilance such as how frequently the patient has a CT scan.

    I had a kidney removed and I thought I could just move on from there but then the oncologist told me my cancer had a high-risk of spreading so we will have to plan a different approach to management than would otherwise be the case. This might be similar to why yours has been referred to as high-risk.

    Let me know if you want me to explain or discuss anything further about this.

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