Was just diagnosed

Sal'

You sound like I did over 15 years ago. At that time they did not due partials. They only yanked the whole kidney out. Unless you have other kidney issues you can lead a normal life with one kidney. Hopefully when you meet with the surgeon a partial is still in the cards if it is appropriate for you. Sometimes they go for a partial and make a game time decision otherwise.

Icemantoo

These days they can tell a lot by film, but make no mistake, they need a pathology to be certain that it truly is cancer.  One of our other newbies just found out he did not have kidney cancer after his surgery. 

There are crazy emotions that go along with all of this though, so I'm sure you are scared.  We all were.  It's a wild ride and it's a process.

We're all here for you, so if you have questions, need guidance on what to ask the docs, what to expect, etc etc.....fire away.

Praying for you,

Donna~

Most likely the surgery will be the end of it with no other treatment required. Yes, it's scary to be told it might be cancer but soon it'll be gone and you'll be on the way to recovery. The surgery and recovery is not nearly as bad as I had feared so don't worry too much about that aspect. Wishing you the very best!

Hi Sal!  I had a 4.5 cm mass on my right kidney. I had a partial nephrectomy September 6th. I know how freaked out you are right now and worrying about everything. But caught under 7cm is typically a really good thing. Depending on the location of the tumor you probably will only lose part of the kidney and it’s good to get it out of there regardless of cancer or not because it will still grow and destroy the kidney.  Know that as scary as it all seems this  a very treatable disease especially when caught early.  keep us posted and welcome to our group!

...but do your best to stay positive and not obsess over endless possiblities (as I tend to do with everything). It sounds like you're doing everything you need to and are dealing with this quickly and head-on. I hope it's just a growth and you get the best results possible. And if not, we're all here to help you deal with whatever comes next.

Sal7864 said:

Anyone ever had a kidney biopsy?

Just wondering what all is involved

Hi Sal,

Yes.....my husband had a kidney biopsy in June.  He had to have a biopsy because there was a chance that it could have been "Transitional Cell Carcinoma" as opposed to "Renal Cell Carcinoma."  Transitional Cell Carcinoma acts more like a bladder cancer even though the tumor is located in the kidney.  If it turned out to be Transitional Cell Carcinoma, it would have been a different operation, where they would have had to remove the ureter, along with the kidney.  He was also told there was a 20-25% chance that it wasn't cancerous.

Well, to make a long story short, it was not Transitional Cell Carcinoma.....thank God.  It was Renal Cell Carcinoma though, and he had a full nephrectomy in August.  He had to have a full nephrectomy as opposed to a partial because of the location of the tumor.  He is doing really well now.

After having the biopsy, he had to remain in the hospital for a few hours, and then he was sent home.  He was told to do absolutely nothing that evening but rest.  It wasn't painful.  

Myself I would skip the biopsy and just get it out. That’s what I’m doing. Mine is 3cm a bit smaller than yours. It’s been there for a year and a half as I had to deal with colon cancer surgery etc. first. 

Canadian Sandy said:

Myself I would skip the

Myself I would skip the biopsy and just get it out. That’s what I’m doing. Mine is 3cm a bit smaller than yours. It’s been there for a year and a half as I had to deal with colon cancer surgery etc. first. 

yet Sandy

Sal7864 said:

no date for biopsy yet

and curious  for a reason to those who would pass on it ?  Or I wonder if a PET scan would confirm it?

I had a PET for some lung nodules, but they were too small for the PET scan to pick up anything. At 5cm, and on the kidney, you should be OK. As for your question about why someone would forego a needle biopsy, I can only answer from personal experience. I had a bad experience with one on my lung a few months ago that made me lose faith in my hospital's Interventional Radiology department. I would say in your case, considering the location and size of the tumor, the biopsy should be effective. My situation is rather unique, but it does speak to why someone might not want the procedure. It really depends on circumstances such as location and size of the tumor, and in my case, past experience with the IR team. Good luck to you - I'm sure they'll get this figured out soon.