What do I expect?

BamaGirl74 said:

GET! IT! OUT!

Bay Area Guy,

That's what I am hoping for, that they give me the option to have it removed because I don't think that it will do anything but get larger over time. That's been the case with the research I've done anyway. I'm healthy now so, might as well go ahead while I can recover well. I can't predict the future and know that I will be healthy for surgery in a couple of years, I certainly didn't expect this so, I can't say that something else won't pop up. If given the choice, I will opt for surgery too, that way I KNOW that they have gone in there, looked around and all is well once it's out and that there is nothing else hiding. I think of all kinds of crazy things and have since I had the CT done. 

 

I am so happy that everyone is doing well! Cancer sucks and it's scary. I'm glad there is a place like this to go to. 

I certainly respect that point of view.  The only reason I opted to wait is because the urologic oncologist said lesions this size are often not malignant and he didn’t want to r3duce my kidney function by surgery if he didn’t have to.  ironically, I just had my annual physical and my kidney function, at least as measured by my creatinine level, improved from just before the surgery.  The measurement dropped from 1.0 to 0.9 (lower is better for this measurement).

I’m guessing that if it is reasonably accessible, they’ll take yours out through minimally invasive robotic surgery.  Mine took about three hours, and I was out the next day with pretty minimal discomfort, but I may be an exception because I have a very high pain threshold.  No surgery is pleas@nt, but as long as you don’t overdo things on the recovery, it’s pretty smooth after the first couple of days.  And at Least one person on this board will likely have had just about every experience you will likely encounter during your recovery.

Yes, hearing the words “You have kidney c@ncer” are terrifying, but advancements in early diagnosis @nd treatment have turned it into a very, VERY survivable condition.

stub1969 said:

Welcome, Bama!

First of all, welcome!  Although I understand your initial reaction of "getting it out", the approach Bay Area Guy took when his lesion was found is worth considering; especially considering the size of your lesion.  I'd encourage you to visit with your doctor about the possibility of aggressive observation.  Since RCC grows at a relatively slow rate (some figures are about .5 cm per year) you could rescan in 3 to 6 months just to monitor if there is growth.  A lot of decisions for you in the coming days and weeks--Good luck!

Stub

 

In the 2+ years I knew about my little friend, the max change in estimated size was from 1.5 cm to 1.8 cm.  At removal, it turned out the actual measurement was 1.7 cm.

Oneshot said:

Trying to get some insight from those who have been there

Hello folks,
I'm  posting on here 1'st before I try to find more info in the post(s) in the kidney cancer threads.
I have been a member of the pancreatic cancer threads for sometime, but due to a MRI my wife's pain management dr. requested  two weeks ago due to pains in her leg. The results she got. Have me posting here.
   Today on her way to work.  She stopped by to get the results . She was told she has a large mass on or between her kidneys, with lymph nodes involved.  This was all I could get from a phone call from her before she went to work.  Am sorry it's so vague. 
 Due to what I went through and knowing this is a dr. that specializes in pain managment only. ( I'm still wondering why no phone call or notification of the mass was not mentioned sooner when found on the scan! )   Sorry I had to vent a little .  So, I'm reaching out .
At this point she is fixing to have a CT scan done on both the chest and abdominal  areas. Just scheduled today ,for friday.  We don't know much more at this time.
I am like anyone else and at this point ,  I am praying it isn't cancer.
She had a lot of stress at work over the past 5 months along with this leg pain. She wasn't eating very well during this time and she occasionally would get sick and throw up.  Not to mention sleep alot .  We both figured it was from the stress at work. She changed departments and actually started eating again. Not to mention she looked happy for the first time in months after coming home from work!
But, then this news.  I don't want to jump to conclusions yet . But I'd like to get some insight on what is to come possibly.  Such as sequence of events and what to expect.  As those who post on this site know,  all to well. No matter how positive a person may be. When that "C" word comes up. It tends to take the wind out of your sails for a bit.     Each cancer is different . So, I figured I'd come to the folks who have first hand experience with kidney cancer. To ask questions and get  some insight.   Just in case!   My experience when I had pancreatic cancer can get me so far but ,it wasn't kidney cancer.
I appologize for my long winded and scattered ramblings.  I just want to be ahead of the curve. If need be.
I will give update on her results when received.
Oneshot

Sorry about your visit here. As soon as you post your results we will try and give you an educated guess as to what is ahead.

icemantoo

Bama Girl - my husband is in a similar situation.  Dr's found the spot on his kidney during a CT scan.   Couldnt' find it on an ultrasound.  Did a follow up ultraound 4 months later and it has grown, but still under 2 cm.   He has a consult and a ultrasound to map out the procedure later this week to do cryoablation on it.  Dr told us that in the case of his tumor, about 75% are malignant, but it is small and early and using this technique should get rid of it.   Granted we still ahve to have the consult.  Everything so far indicates no giant rush though compared to previous experiences so that is good.  It is all a hurry up and wait though.  He'd like to just move on  

BamaGirl74 said:

Thank you!

I am hoping that they give me the option to just take the sucker out! I am 43 and in great health, it was just odd that they found it on a CT that had nothing to do with my kidneys. My mother in law passed away in Sept of 2016 from bladder cancer and I fully believe she was watching out for me. By the time they found hers it was already stage 3 and it spread pretty rapidly from there. With this fresh in my mind, it has scared me a little but not so much that I am incapacitated. Much like everyone else, if you get the news that you have this, it is scary. 

I happened upon this site and am very greatful that I did. 

Brock1969, stay off of the eliptical!!!

Hi, it is called a serendipitous finding, or incidental finding.   Means the tumour was found looking for something else, and since kidney tumours are often non symptomatic until they are quite advanced this is a very good way to find them. Congrats.   Yours is small.  It may be decided to wait and watch, though if it is growing and if it is enhancing such that it doesn't look like a cyst (essentially the density of the interior on CT scan with contrast is what the pathologist use to exclude a cyst)  then I would be inclined to get the tumour removed.  I am 50, had a similar diagnosis and had a 2.2cm tumour removed in end of last year.  3 months post op I have to remind myself it happened.   My tumour was benign, as 10 to 20% can be.  Not a Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC).   It still could have grown significantly and destroyed the kidney and I didn't fancy waiting and watching. You also cannot tell until the tumour is removed and pathology is done.  Hence the need to remove it surgically and not burn it off.  Good clear margins and specific pathology from a great pathologist is important.  Really important.   Tumours can do weird things and even small ones sometimes metastisise. Rare but possible. There are also some really rare tumours on he kidney that are not RCC and I would definately want to know if I had one of those as they follow up scans and treatment can be different.  It can't metatstise  if it has been surgically removed.  Most often the surgery is considered curative and you might ony need periodic scans.  I don't as it was benign.

I was also keen to have it done on my terms - when I was in otherwise good health, had time (was between exams and Christmas - superficial I know, but I am a Mum with kids who are all at the going to uni stage and I wanted to be able to support them).   When I could ask my own Mum to come and look after me - she was available. 

My upside is that I have removed the tumour and having had the pathology my mind is completely free to not worry.   You will see that stress and worry about ongoing scans is a real thing that impacts quality of life.   I would not be living stress free if I knew that every 6 months I was checking on tumour growth and then deciding if it was needing a significant operation.  It is a significant operation - needs a good 3 weeks recovery and then a month or two of taking it easier than normal.  You do have to take time out from normal life, so planning when to have an operation and where and by whom is a good thing.   You want a surgeon that does lots of nephrectomies and good pathology reports.  In some parts of the world a general surgeon might do it, in others a specialist surgical urologist - you want the latter. 

Good luck.  It doesn't seem like you need to be in a roaring hurry.   So hopefully you will have some time to choose a path that is suitable to you, with a surgeon and hospital you are pleased with the recommendations. 

Bamagirl ~ I too had a "small mass" 1.7 cm discovered in October 2017 and was told not to worry~I had time.  I waited four months until my work schedule cleared to have a partial nephrectomy--the surgery was very uneventful.  At the follow-up appointment I learned my staging went from T1 to T3a because the tumor extended into the perirenal fat--which increased the size of my tumor to 2.3 cm on the pathology report.  I am writing this not to scare you but as a cautionary tale that everyone's experience or situation is different and that a "small mass" can spread.  My advice--don't wait--have it removed by a onco/urology surgeon with plenty of experience.