Renal Cell Carcinoma (Kidney Cancer) Support Group
Renal cell carcinoma, also known by a gurnistical tumor, is the most common form of kidney cancer arising from the renal tubule. It is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults. Initial therapy is with surgery. It is notoriously resistant to radiation therapy and chemotherapy, although some cases respond to immunotherapy.
Hi everyone! I need some advice please. I am a 37 year old female diagnosed with a 1.4 cm lesion. My urologist has been observing this mass for a year and two months now. I've had 2 ultrasounds, 2 ct scans and 1 MRI and they all show the same thing since the start. No growth and no change. My doctor says that the lesion is too small to really tell what it is. The radiologists called it a potential complex cyst but no definative diagnosis. MY doctor wants me to wait another 4 months to determine what to do next. She says my labs are normal and I have no physical symptoms at the time. According to her recommendation I should wait and see if anything changes with time. At this time she thinks surgery is drastic considering the size and activity of the lesion plus she thinks I'm too young to remove part of my kidney unnecessarily. The concern I have is that if we wait this thing can grow and spread. I know that surgery is a risk however I feel that maybe we need to be more aggressive than sit back and wait to see if this thing decides to change. I would greatly appreciate some feedback! Thanks
I know all of this is very scary. However, since your lesion is tiny and hasn't changed in all this time, it's most likely a cyst. It sounds like your doctor is being very cautious and watching it closely. That is exactly what most good doctors would do at this point. Try not to be too anxious, and trust in your doctor. Hang in there.
Hugs, Ingrid
you are in much the same place I was two years ago. I had a 2-3cm lesion on my right kidney, discovered through a completely unrelated CT scan for Rheumatoid Arthritis. I had CT scans , Ultrasounds and MRI of the kidney, none of which showed conclusively if the tumour was cancer or benign I can understand how worried you are but tumours are very slow-growing and yours, is small and hasn't grown at all which is a good sign..
My Urologist decided to watch it, scanning every 3 months to see if it changed in size. Still no conclusive diagnosis over 12 months so I then had a specialised needle biopsy done with MRI assistance. The good news was that it is benign - an Angiomyolipoma. My Urologist is keeping an eye on it as if it grows he can then cut off the blood supply to it as they can burst. My doctor said he hates to remove a kidney (even partially) and then find out it is benign
I know how lucky I am. I did feel very worried before each scan but tried to put it to the back of my mind most of the time. Perhaps that was made easier for me as I was also dx with severe, aggressive Rheumatoid Arthritis at the same time and that took precedence day-by-day.
It was people here, one of whom is my dear friend, Ingrid, who gave me so much support and helped me get through that year..
I am here if you need support .so please do message me or post.
Hugs