inoperable left kidney cancer

 

On 4/9/2008 agfordad wrote:

 

On 3/20/2008 HLCMN wrote:

Hello Everyone

My Dad(55yrs.) was diagnosed with stage4 renal cell cancer a year ago. Started Nexavar the first month and so far it hasn't spread or gotten any worse.  My issue is that there is a 4cm tumor on his left kidney, in dozens of lymph nodes, largest one being left lower neck that was 1.5cm, and other spots that they are not sure of.  Since the start he has only had 1 Onocoligist and had one urologist look at his scans and both are saying he's inoperable.  He has lost a lot of weight and has had hand and foot side effects from the nexavar but has gone to work everyday and has only missed a few hours here and there due to doctors appt. My fear is that the Nexavar will eventually stop working and it will only get worse. I was under the impression that even if taking the kidney wouldn't cure him it was still a smart decision to just get rid of it.  Please help!

Thanks

His Daughter

Hi,

I am so sorry.  What I meant to put was 8-9cm size tumor about 4 inches.  I just realized I put that down.  Thank you for mentioning the size otherwise I probable wouldn't have noticed.  My mind has been all over the place.  With Dad being in this position my fiance and I decided that there was no time to waste and that I would regret it for the rest of my life if he did not walk me down the aisle.  With all thats going on with Dad and the Wedding(4/12/08) I never realized my mistake.  4 cm and 4 inches make quite a difference.

Thanks for the reply,

Heather

Hi there,

After Nexavar, if they stop it, there is Sutent which is in the same drug class and actually is considered first line treatment for renal cancer.  Usually, docs will tell you the  cancer is inoperable if it spreads or gets to be a certain size but 4cm does not sound that large at all.  I would get another opinion and also inquire about anti-angiogenesis therapy.  There are procedures being done transcutaneously that may be of value like embolization.

 My dad is Stage IV but his tumors have progressed and he never had surgery.  Perhaps your family member can benefit.

Peace. 

 

 

Heather: Sorry to hear of your Dads' condition. In Oct. of 2006 I had a 8 to 9 cm tumor in my left kidney that had all but shut my kidney off. I was lucky enough to have it removed. Then in Jan. 2007 there was 4 spots in right lung and 2 in left. My oncologist put me on 50mg. of sutent. She told me that was the the one to start out with. The side effects were horrible. My scans showed they were all diminishing. Then lo and behold in Jan. 2008 it showed they came back. More sutent, this time all gone again but 1. Next week I will have surgery to remove this golf ball sized tumor from my lower right lobe. Four weeks after I will begin torisel. I know this will be a forever thing as rcc seems to like to travel. I just wanted to share my experience and to let you know I am thinking of your family. Peace, Claudia I would love to hear from anyone about their experiences with torisel!

My husband's RCC has invaded his right kidney.  The kidney is non-functional and the tumor is around his Inferior Vena Cava.  He was told this is inoperable because he would probably die on the operating table due to the bleeding.  In researching these types of cancer where the IVC is involved, it appears that for those that were able to have kidney removal, the extended life was not any better than those without the kidney removal.  So, we have come to accept it and live with treatments.

 We've gone the Nexivar route without success and are now on the 6th treatment with Torisel.