I think he's lying :(

Hi everyone. I know this is going to sound like a strange post but I'm pretty sure my friend is lying to me about having kidney cancer. He can't tell me what kind of cancer he has, he said that the doctor was giving him some "chemo pills" as a trial and he doesn't have money to get the prescription actually filled. Then he said he's in stage T0 or T1. What is that? But he's not sure. He told me just last week that he goes to chemo twice a week but I don't buy that either. Too many things that are not adding up. Does any of this make sense to anyone on here? Please help. I hate to think my friend is lying about something so serious. My mom had cancer so I've seen the affects up close and personal and would hate to think that someone so close to me is being dishonest.

Your friend may well be telling you the truth but trying to save you the anguish. Yes, there are stages (T1 -4) of kidney cancer.. try accessing info on this site. Kidney cancer does not respond well to traditional treatments (radiation, chemo)  but some tumors do to targeted pills that are like chemo but do different things. I am on a pill called Sutent -- there are others in development that have been successful in shrinking tumors. It's hard to say what for of Kidney cancer he has but the most common is renal cell carcinoma.  Some quick internet research on RCC should bring you up to speed if you like. RCC is life threatening and can be unpredictable. Tumors may show up in odd places -- lungs, bones other organs.  I wish he and you the best outcome

I think it would be better to err on the side of caution and give your friend the benefit of the doubt before you assume he's lying.  Finding out you have cancer is a huge shock, and people react differently to the news.  He is just now beginning to find out more about the cancer, the medications used to treat it, etc.  He may not be able to remember details yet. 

If you do eventually find out he's lying, then he must really have some problems upstairs (in his head) because that would be a pretty cruel joke.  I wouldn't want to be tested like that, someone to say something like that to me just to see what I might say or do.  No way!  But don't jump to conclusions...wait and see what happens.  Maybe you could even offer to go along with him to one of his appointments or something.  I think it is best to assume he's telling the truth until you find out otherwise.

Nancy