Renal Carcinoma and the Vena Cava

ShannonE
ShannonE Member Posts: 4
edited March 2014 in Kidney Cancer #1
My mother had surgery on Friday to remove the kidney and mass, and repair the vena cava. Unfortunately, her surgeons said that after removing the mass and viewing the vena cava, if they attempted to remove the blood clot she would probably die. The blood clot/ cancer cells extend from where her right kidney was up to her liver, and is comparable in description to concrete. Is there anyone out there that has or is dealing with this disease?? She is still in ICU, and her spirits are very high... I was just looking for someone who maybe was at a later successful stage.

Comments

  • abestbarbara
    abestbarbara Member Posts: 18
    #2
    I had a nephrectomy in June '04 and now they say I have a nodule on my lung. I don't know what vena cava is, but I will pray for your mom and you. Take care. Hugs
  • urkabsd
    urkabsd Member Posts: 37
    #3
    hi, shannon,
    i know it is very difficult to have a loved one in icu and to hear the word, cancer. there are plenty of people out there who have survived this cancer. i had my kidney, rib and lymph node removed in feb and i am doing great. my father had rrc and it had spread to his bones and lungs and was given 6 weeks to live. he lived another 15 years, praise the lord. he went on what was then experimental interferon. you can get in touch with the kca and they can really send you a lot of info and help you. there is also another web sites called www.liveboards.com for kidney cancer. i pray that your mother will be well. the best defense is information and good specialsits.
  • ShannonE
    ShannonE Member Posts: 4
    #4
    abestbarbara said:

    I had a nephrectomy in June '04 and now they say I have a nodule on my lung. I don't know what vena cava is, but I will pray for your mom and you. Take care. Hugs

    Thank you for your prayers; I believe that is carrying her right now. The Vena Cava is the major vessel that extends from the heart to the legs, and then returns. Basically, her superior Vena Cava is moving blood from the heart to the rest of her organs, but the inferior Vena Cava is what is completely blocked, so the blood is unable to return to the heart and is settling in her legs, and causing severe swelling of the legs. The blood clot in the inferior Vena Cava is basically cancer cells, and growing. My understanding is that this type of cancer is rare, and little is known about treatment options and/or success. I will pray for your future as well, and I believe the more people who think of you makes a difference. Take care.
  • ShannonE
    ShannonE Member Posts: 4
    #5
    urkabsd said:

    hi, shannon,
    i know it is very difficult to have a loved one in icu and to hear the word, cancer. there are plenty of people out there who have survived this cancer. i had my kidney, rib and lymph node removed in feb and i am doing great. my father had rrc and it had spread to his bones and lungs and was given 6 weeks to live. he lived another 15 years, praise the lord. he went on what was then experimental interferon. you can get in touch with the kca and they can really send you a lot of info and help you. there is also another web sites called www.liveboards.com for kidney cancer. i pray that your mother will be well. the best defense is information and good specialsits.

    Thank you for your prayers. The website you provided is my next stop this evening, and thank you for that. Congradulations on your success, I hope that it continues. It is a miracle that your father had a good amount of time after hearing such horrible news... he was blessed. Thank you again for your thoughts and information. We are ready to fight this! Take care.
  • Chicago
    Chicago Member Posts: 73 Member
    #6
    Hey Shannon,

    Sorry to hear about your mom. You're all in our prayers.

    Is the cancer in the vena cava a metastasis from the kidney? It sounds like you're saying that the vena cava is a spread of renal cell in a later stage. Is the cancer in the kidney renal cell, or another one of the several cancers available to the kidney? Different treatment options may be available, depending on what kind it is, and exactly what stage.

    Without necessarily removing the blood clot, have they considered doing a bypass of the affected area? I don't know if that's even possible, and my doctor-in-the-house is away for a week.
  • ShannonE
    ShannonE Member Posts: 4
    #7
    Chicago said:

    Hey Shannon,

    Sorry to hear about your mom. You're all in our prayers.

    Is the cancer in the vena cava a metastasis from the kidney? It sounds like you're saying that the vena cava is a spread of renal cell in a later stage. Is the cancer in the kidney renal cell, or another one of the several cancers available to the kidney? Different treatment options may be available, depending on what kind it is, and exactly what stage.

    Without necessarily removing the blood clot, have they considered doing a bypass of the affected area? I don't know if that's even possible, and my doctor-in-the-house is away for a week.

    Thank you very much for your thoughts and prayers. The blood clot/ cancer cells are yes, an extension of the tumor that dominated her right kidney. Her kidney doctor said that they needed to involve a cardiac surgeon during her surgery because they wanted to try to perform a bypass. However, once they saw the vena cava, they both said if they attempted it she would probably die. She also has a blood clot in her right leg, and an aneurism between the 2 lobes at the base of her neck. They will be introducing immunotherapy sometime within the next 3 weeks, but the oncologist says they have to be very careful because of the other conditions she has. She is at UT Southwestern in Dallas, TX, where they are trying to get the FDA to approve a new drug they would like to use for her. The last few days have been rough; she is suffering from pancreatitis. They said they need to get that under control this next week, and see if they can get her mobile again, too. Does this sound typical to you??

    Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers.
  • Chicago
    Chicago Member Posts: 73 Member
    #8
    ShannonE said:

    Thank you very much for your thoughts and prayers. The blood clot/ cancer cells are yes, an extension of the tumor that dominated her right kidney. Her kidney doctor said that they needed to involve a cardiac surgeon during her surgery because they wanted to try to perform a bypass. However, once they saw the vena cava, they both said if they attempted it she would probably die. She also has a blood clot in her right leg, and an aneurism between the 2 lobes at the base of her neck. They will be introducing immunotherapy sometime within the next 3 weeks, but the oncologist says they have to be very careful because of the other conditions she has. She is at UT Southwestern in Dallas, TX, where they are trying to get the FDA to approve a new drug they would like to use for her. The last few days have been rough; she is suffering from pancreatitis. They said they need to get that under control this next week, and see if they can get her mobile again, too. Does this sound typical to you??

    Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers.

    I wish I could say that anything about your mom's situation sounds typical. It sounds like she just got hit with a triple whammy. I was pretty lucky, and found the cancer early before it got complicated. UT's a good hospital though, so I'm sure they're doing everything possible.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #9
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

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