Scheduled at Cleveland Clinic for second opinion

---offer a second opimion, but the guy from CC can probably do it better.

icemantoo

a_oaklee said:

Second opinions

Second opinions are always good.  Most, almost all, RCC patients do not have a needle biopsy, and if I were you I would not be pushing to have that done.  Generally, a scan can give enough information to a urological surgeon of whether or not the tumor needs to be removed or watched.   Your spot is very small and that gives you time to get your second opinion.  I know you really don't feel very lucky or blessed right now, but you are in a really good place with it found early, and you are going to have a very good prognosis.  Best wishes to you.  

I agree.  When I was diagnosed, I asked my sister (a nurse practitioner and, in my opinion, one of the smartest people on the planet) about a biopsy.  She said it wasn’t recommended since all those blood vessels are in the area.  A biopsy risks nicking one or, in some cases, allowing malignant cells to escape and float anywhere they please.

My husbands urological surgeon recommended surveillance for a few months.  i asked why, and he said my schedule is booked for the next few months, and it's okay for you to wait.  We were new to this and took him at his word.  With everything I know now, I wouldn't wait more than two to three  months with a 4 cm or larger tumor.  Smaller tumors are less likely to metastasize.  It's very very rare with the size being described on this post.  I have read online in my research that most RCC tumors grow at a rate of half a cm a year.   Of course this is an average and with all statistics as individuals we don't know where we fit into the stats.

The good thing about this wait is that it has given you the opportunity to learn more and get a second opinion from a medical center that sees more kidney tumors.  While you are waiting try to lead your best life with good nutrition, some exercise/activity, quitting smoking if applicable, get some tasks done that you have been putting off.  Focus your attention, to the best of your ability, on something else, and the days will fly by.  There's also nothing wrong for your PCP to give you something for anxiety.  

I had mine done at Cleveland Clinic and have nothing but great things to say about them. They were awesome from start to finish. If you don't mind me asking, who is your doctor?

Good luck man! I'm sure you're in good hands at CC!

trp61 said:

No Laparoscopy for a Partial

Hi all!  I just had a nuclear renal scan to see if the 3.2cm matter in my right kidney was a column of Bertin, and unfortunately it was not Bertin. Therefore, I'm scheduled for a partial on April 1st (not fooling!).

My urologist is the best in my area and I trust him very much. He's planning to perform the surgery with an open incision. I have no time to seek someone willing to use a minimally invasive techique to ease recovery...and I'm nervous because I'm 280 pounds with considerable belly fat. I certainly don't have time to lose weight prior to the surgery. Or do I?

1. Obviously, I don't want it to metastisize. But, since it's relatively small, do the risks associated with my weight make delaying a couple of months until I can lose 20 pounds a sensible risk?
2. Also, does belly fat complicate open surgery enough to make laparoscopy a priority?

Thank you all!

Sorry you had to join us, but this is a great forum full of great people. It was a life-saver for me, supporting me when I was first diagnosed. We've all been where you are now, so feel free to ask us questions. 

As for your questions, I don't know specific answers about weight vs open/laparoscopic. Better to ask your doctor. What I've read is that the tumor won't metastisize until it's bigger 3-4cm, which would make me nervous about you waiting too long to get it out. But again, you should discuss your concerns with your doctor and, if necessary, consider getting a second opinion. 

Also - one tip - more people will see your post if you start a new thread in the Kidney Cancer forum instead of embedding your post here under this thread. 

jroco said:

Here is a copy and paste

Here is a copy and paste reply from my doctor when i was bugging the crap out of him after i got cancelled and re scheduled for a month and a half later. I was pissed. This was not the doctors fault.  I left out some of the conversatoin but basically i asking for a referell for other places. I chose to stick with him in the end.

(Copy and paste)

Rich, 
The tumor you have is 1.5 cm in size, which is quite small as far as kidney tumors go. It typically isn't until kidney tumors get to be 4 cm or bigger before they has an increased chance of spreading to other organs. And they grow on an average rate of 0.25-0.5 cm per year. Therefore, there is absolutely no rush to get this done. And based on this data, it would be years until it grows big enough to cause you a problem. Having said that, you certainly don't want to wait until it gets that big. In addition, you want to have this done with the robot by a person who has done the "retroperitoneal" approach. 

Jroco, the growth rate of a your probable RCC tumor does not have a average growth rate, it has the growth rate of your genetic and metabolic make up, which is unique to you. Another very important point is that the size of the tumor when goes Metastatic is unique to you a well. Get it tested and if cancer get it out of your body ASAP. Cleveland Clinic is as good as it gets for RCC patients. A final point is that how would your Urologist know the average growth rate of RCC tumors, 99.9% of RCC Tumors are monitored for their growth rate until after they are metastatic. I had a 16 cm RCC tumor go metastatic for the first time 6 months after it was removed. I have been at this disease for six years, I have seen people go metastatic at all different sized tumors. The only average numbers you should be concerned with is 0 and 100%, because those are your averageS. Best Regards Mizzou Fan.