If Nexavar Shrinks, Then Is Rad Neph, Necessary, Signed Confused

Question 1
If nexavar aka sorabieb shrinks the tumor then is a partial or radical kidney extraction necessary...I mean do we take the kidney out and then start the nexavar or start the nexavar wait for the kidney to shrink and then extract.


Question 2
I heard of another surgery (please don't quote me) I believed is called ablation, where the kidney is cut off and from any oxygen thus, from growing. How good is this operation compared to radical?

Question 3
Rcc might have met to her liver and gland. Does nexavar work in this case?

I am thinking of all of you
Thank You for any feed back...
Gia

Gia,

Removing the primary tumor in the kidney has a aurvival advantage. Most often, the kidney tumor is taken out first, but if the tumor is large or near a vital structure, systemic treatment such as Nexavar may be tried first so that surgery may be less extensive. Very, very rarely, mets can disappear after the primary kidney tumor is removed, but I wouldn't forgo further treatment because the chances are small.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an effective way to destroy a small primary kidney tumor. You should be sure that a biopsy is taken so you know what kind of kidney cancer it is in case the kidney cancer has spread, for the type of treatment will depend on the type of kidney cancer. Cryo (freezing the tumor) is another possibility, but again, you need to be sure that the tumor is biopsied. Both seem to be pretty effective, but if you have surgery, you know for sure that the primary tumor is gone. Sometimes, the RFA or cryo has to be repeated because not all tumor cells are killed.

Nexavar is a new drug. It has prolonged life in trials, but more time is necessary to find out how effective it is in the long run.

I had ablation for RCC in June . The tumor has to be 4 cm or less for this tx. @ MD Anderson in Houston. I had it done ,went home the next day and have done great. I have had 3 followup C.T.s which shows where the tumor was but no enhancement. I am working full time and only missed 1 wk of work. I pray the results will remain good but there are no 5 yr. studies yet so only time will tell. I pray your family has a good outcome !!

I was in the hospital for diverticulitis and my CT revealed an incidental finding of 4 cm renal cell ca. Lungs were okay, colonoscopy okay, bone scan this week. I am thinking about ablation instead of kidney removal. My doctor consulted with others and I am a candidate. Any opinions on this?