Why The Long Delay (6 Weeks) Till Nephrectomy?

We've learned that my husband's left kidney has to be removed. This all came about quite suddenly...no pain ...he just started urinating blood about 3 weeks ago. OK, I'm in agreement that the kidney has to go...but I'm concerned because I feel they need to get in there and take the darn thing out of my husband NOW...before it spreads.....

The good news is that all the CT scans, bones scans, MRI, x-rays, etc. etc. etc. say he has 2 tumors in his left kidney but the cancer does not appear to have spread anywhere else. So they are going to take out the kidney....yay!!! But, wait....the surgery is not going to happen for another 5 weeks!!!!! First they want him to donate 3 pints of his own blood, and then the urologist and general surgeon got together on a date. Shouldn't this thing come out NOW..????? NOT 5 weeks from NOW...?????????

I just went through the removal of my left kidney two weeks ago. They did need four units of blood in my surgery but they had me croosmatched with the blood bank rather than donate my own blood. I was confident with today's blood screening and so was my doctor. My doctor even said he would rather NOT have me donate blood so I would be at full strength going into the surgery. I had my operation 8 days after the 9cm tumor was discovered. I am not an MD but I could never have waited 5 weeks for surgery. My opinion I would push back hard on the date and perhaps look elsewhere. Best of luck to you and your husband as you start the fight.

I had a partial nephrectomy for two tumors in my right kidney last year. They were 3 cm and 2 cm respectively. I had to wait for three months because I learned of my cancer when I had pain from kidney stones in my other kidney. The doctor required me to pass the stones from my good kidney before he operated on the bad kidney. It took a while to pass the stones.

The point I want to make is that 5 weeks is not a long time as kidney tumors grow slowly at a rate of about 1 cm per year. If the testing indicates that it is encapsulated and hasn't spread, a few weeks will not make a difference.

I am not a dr but can tell you that my mom was diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma in Nov of 2005. There are times when this disease can be very aggressive. I strongly encourage you to see an RCC specialist. I would be very uncomfortable waiting that long for a nephrectomy. It would be wise to investigate a hand assisted nephrectomy with an experienced surgeon, the recovery is so much faster and easier. My mom found out Nov 3 and the surgery was on the 9th. Her tumor was 9 cm and it was estimated that it had only been there 6 months. Please visit the cancerguide.org and investigate kidney cancer. They have a list of survivors and fighters that will be a wealth of knowledge for you. You will get several opinions on this but since there has been no metastisis please trust your gut. The kidey cancer association can be reached at 1-800-850-9132 they can help you find an dr with RCC experience in your area. Good Luck and know that your not alone.

I agree with Apriltcl5. Time is critical. 5 weeks could make a big difference. also could effect future treatment options. the sooner the better.

A six week delay is not unusual, but nobody likes to sit around waiting for six weeks. Ask your surgeon to discuss other options that might allow earlier surgery. Also, ask your surgeon what kind of surgery he plans; a hand-assisted laparoscopic procedure is easiest on the patient if the whole kidney is to be removed; an open or laparascopic partial can be done if the tumors are small enough to save some of the kidney. A urologist who does transplants has the necessary skills as well as urologists who treat kidney cancer.

There is an email support list specific to kidney cancer. See http://cancerguide.org/kofaq/ to join.

when i fould out i has kidney cancer i was in shock over it my Dr asked how soon do you want it out
i told him a.s.a.p. he had in surgery 10 days later to remove the cancer & kindey

Your husband should have high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment. Little waiting, no blood required, out of hospital in a day.
Should warn - available for private patients only, NHS too strapped for cash to give it
If interested try Val at Churchill hospital on 01865 763100

I just found this website and had to respond. I agree with April. I hope you've met with a kidney cancer specialist and have had the surgery moved up. My husband was diagnosed on 12/6/04, met with a surgeon on 12/13/04 and had a full laparoscopic nephrectomy on 12/14/04. As for not being agressive, it depends on the stage and grade. For us, even though the initial scans were all clear, the cancer metastacized to the liver by May '05. He underwent another surgery. We then found an oncologist at the University of Minnestota Fairview Medical Center that entered my husband in a clinical trial for the Pfizer drug Sutent. After six months, we have no signs of cancerous acitivity or metastatic disease (he had three more tumors in his liver by August '05 and the start of the trial). We feel that sooner is better than later. Good luck to you and your family.

I just read your message about your husband and am hoping he already had surgery. My husband had blood in his urine one morning, called his doctor, and was put in the hospital immediately. He was operated on the next morning and fortunately the cancer had not spread. He had his kidney removed. I think the faster the surgery is done, the better it is. Again, I hope he has already had the surery. Good luck. Barbara119