My mom is starting sutent- kidney cancer stage 4 mets into lungs/liver/bones

clbl77 said:

my mom
hi Debbie,

My mom was diagnosed in 2007 with kidney cancer. She too had a radical nephrectomy on the left side. She was not given any additional treatment at the time. Within a few months, they found a spot in the mediastinal section on the chest (between the heart and lung). She was also diagnosed as a Stage 4. My mom is 53 yrs old and I am 32. This past June she went into the hospital due to deteriorated mobility of her left arm. They did an MRI which showed metastatic tumors in her brain. They then did radiation treatment, which for her did not work. She just started taking Sutent the middle of August. I would appreciate any information anyone has regarding metastatic renal cell to the brain.

I have done a lot of research on Sutent and it is more effective on systemic tumors (in the body). I have read many stories of people on Sutent for years doing well living productive lives. I will keep your mom in my prayers. We dont know anything yet as to the results of the Sutent with regards to my mom. She has her first scan next week.

Good luck to you!

Debbie so sorry to hear of
Debbie so sorry to hear of your mother. It sounds to me that when she had her surgery in July 2010, just 2 months ago, that something went very wrong. Renal Cell Carcinoma(kidney cancer) typically is slow growing and non aggressive. Dr ideally would have done a cat scan on her abdomen, pelvis and lungs to determine if and where the tumors are. If in deed that was done, radiologist would have a report to show results. Did Dr only do ultrasound or scan of kidney? It sounds like she had tumors in her liver, lymph nodes and lungs before she was diagnosed with cancer and before her surgery in July. Sounds like they just did a radical nephrectamy to remove her right kidney. For the cancer to spread like it did in a matter of weeks from her surgery to the extent and size of the tumors just 6 weeks after surgery is unlikely, especially if cancer type was renal cell. What stage was she when she was diagnosed? If they find the cancer she has (examining kidney that was removed) was a low grade slow growing type, she may have had cancer for a long time (months or years) and not have had symptoms.

Background
Renal cell carcinoma accounts for approximately 3% of adult malignancies and 90-95% of neoplasms arising from the kidney. It is characterized by a lack of early warning signs, diverse clinical manifestations, and resistance to radiation and chemotherapy.

Increasingly, renal call cancers are diagnosed at an earlier stage, and nephron-sparing surgery and thermal ablation are gaining acceptance as a treatment of choice for smaller tumors. Radical nephrectomy is the standard for larger and central tumors.

Recent clinical trials have established the role of targeted therapy as the first line of therapy in patients with metastatic disease. While the optimal treatment strategy continues to evolve, three agents that target angiogenesis (sunitinib, bevacizumab, and pazopanib) and an mTOR-targeted therapy (temsirolimus) have been approved as front-line agents. These have largely replaced cytokines (immunotherapy) in treatment-naive patients. Current clinical trials are testing newer agents, combinations of approved agents, and the optimal sequencing of these agents