Renal cell carcinoma

bentz61
bentz61 Member Posts: 2 Member
edited October 2022 in Kidney Cancer #1

Just found this site today been to a urologist and he recommended I go to Vanderbilt in Nashville the ct scan and MRI indicated a  1.5 cm solid abnormality/small renal cell carcinoma medial midpo/e LEFT kidney. The urologist said they handle complex situations like mine. Not sure what to think he mention partial nephrectomy. All new to me have read so many different things my head is spinning. Any type of guidance from your experiences would be helpful. Thank you so much

Comments

  • eug91
    eug91 Member Posts: 471 Member
    #2

    Hi bentz61-

    Sorry you had to join us, but I'm glad you did. We've been through what you're going through, so we know you can get through it, too. We're here for you if you have questions or concerns or just need to vent.

    Thankfully you caught your carcinoma early. 1.5cm is small, so even if the location turns out to be complex, you've caught it early so you lots of reason to be optimistic.

    My two bits of advice-

    -Bring a notepad with you to your appointments, or take notes on your cell phone. A lot of information coming from your doctor will be fast and furious, and your head will be spinning trying to keep up. Write it all down. Then later you can refer to it and ask any questions based on what you wrote down.

    -It's a shock to learn this news, but don't waste time on negative thoughts. Stay positive.

    We're with you - you're gonna do great!

  • bentz61
    bentz61 Member Posts: 2 Member
    #3

    Thank you

    https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1697790#Comment_1697790

    Thank you

  • Bay Area Guy
    Bay Area Guy Member Posts: 619 Member
    #4

    Hi bentz. Sorry you had to join. Eug makes some very good suggestions. I’d add one more. Don’t go looking on Google. You’ll drive yourself crazy. Some of the information you’ll find is way, way out of date. Some is just plain incorrect. And some is from snake oil salesmen trying to con you into separating you from your money. If you do decide to visit Google, look only for verified sites like the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic or some of the top notch medical universities.

    At 1.5 cm, yours is small and a partial should take care of it completely.

  • Lynn_65
    Lynn_65 Member Posts: 64 Member
    #5
    https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/325321/renal-cell-carcinoma

    Sorry you had to join, but there are some great supportive people here! My RCC was also located midpole close to my renal artery. I was told I may have to have an open complete nephrectomy due to the complexity of my case. However, I was able to have a robotic laparoscopic partial! It sounds like you’re in good hands!

    Praying for you and your medical team. Keep us posted.

  • randyradiohill
    randyradiohill Member Posts: 68 Member
    #6

    Hi bentz61,

    Sorry to hear, but you’re in a great location. I’ve been treated at Vanderbilt (Dr Baroca) and he’s been fantastic. I just passed my 5 year cancerversary after being diagnosed with a stage 3-2.5 cm tumor also on my left kidney. Underwent a partial neph, but everything has been clear since. Vandy is fantastic and you couldn’t be in better hands.

    The mental part is definitely tough, but trust your doctor and you’ll get through it.

  • medic1971
    medic1971 Member Posts: 225 Member
    #7

    I'm sorry you are here, but glad you found us.

    When you have about 30 min, please watch this video, it will anwser a lot of your questions and should give you a lot of comfort too.

    Evaluation and Management of Localized Renal Cell Carcinoma - Surena F. Matin, MD, FACS ( Dr. Matin is a urologist at MD Anderson)

    https://youtu.be/493RFA_tA1I

  • Mylife1958_
    Mylife1958_ Member Posts: 2 Member
    #8

    I was just diagnosed with rcc, says it's 10mm, can someone tell me what size that is in cm. Thank you Pam

  • Bay Area Guy
    Bay Area Guy Member Posts: 619 Member
    #9

    Hi Pam. 10 mm is equal to 1 cm. By comparison, mine, when it was removed by a robotic partial nephrectomy, was measured at 1.7 cm and was considered very small.

  • Mylife1958_
    Mylife1958_ Member Posts: 2 Member
    #10

    Thank you

  • AliceB1950
    AliceB1950 Member Posts: 244 Member
    #11
    https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1700585#Comment_1700585

    Mine was 7 cm, about the size and shape of an egg, and that's just at the cutoff for stage 1. So yours is quite small, which means you have time to explore several options like the surgery vs. ablation vs. watch & wait, and where and when you'd want it done. Good luck!

Discussion Boards