Bad Test Results - Now What?

We just found out that my husband has a mass in one kidney about 50mm x 40mm x 50mm. He also has a small mass in other kidney. Also a small mass in one lung. We have appointment with Urologist later this week. Can anyone give me advice on what types of questions we should be asking and what to expect? I admire all of you for your strength. Thank, Dolly

What kind of test have they done sofar? I am assuming they think it may be cancer? There are many more options now for treating kidney cancer than there were a few years ago. My mother had stage 4 kidney cancer and has been fighting it for over a year. She is responding well to her treatment and we are down to a very minimal amount of cancer left. The most important piece of advice I can give you is that IF they do think it is kidney cancer...FIND A KIDNEY CANCER SPECIALIST. Not a regular oncologist. Kidney cancer doesnt respond to most chemos and there is so much new out there that you really need a specialist to be getting the most up to date treatment. You will probably want to ask if they think surgery will be necessary and what types of treatment are available in your area. There is a lot of information on the Kidney Cancer Association website. They have a book that they will send you that has a wealth of information. They have so much information that they can send you, it really helps to understand the disease you are fighting. Please keep me posted on the next appointment. I wish you all the best! Casie

Dear Casie, Thanks so much for the info. At this point, he just had an ultrasound that found the large and small mass in his kidneys, and a CT scan of his lungs that showed the small mass there. Our primary doctor is sending us to a Urologist Thursday. I am assuming they think it is cancer. I will absolutely try to find the type of doctor you recommended. I am happy to hear the news about your mom. Have a great day Dolly

it is likely they will want a piece of one of the masses so they can look at it under a microscope. this is called "a tissue diagnosis." they may also order other scans as part of a staging workup. i would expect the oncologist may refer you to a surgeon for a biopsy. next week you will see the oncologist again for the result, which perhaps may be renal cell carcinoma (rcc). the reason for this biopsy is to be sure it is not something else, such as lung cancer that spread to the kidney and not the other way around. cancers in general are treated three ways: chemotherapy (i include immunotherapy in this category), radiotherapy, and surgery. metastatic renal cell carcinoma is generally treated only with chemotherapy, more specifically immunotherapy. this cancer is very resistant to radiation, so radiation is generally a choice of last resorts, such as if this cancer spreads to the brain. for metastatic rcc, surgery is only used palliatively - for example if the tumor blocks the flow of urine, a tube called a stent can be placed to restore the flow of urine. except for brain metastasis, the immunotherapy that they likely will start will either be interleukin-2 or interferon. seeing a renal cancer specialist is a good idea. if it is renal cell cancer, make sure a CT or MRI of the brain is done to be sure the cancer is not there before starting treatment. here is a helpful link on rcc: http://www.ellisfischel.org/urologic/kidney.shtml

Thank you for the valuable information. I just want to be prepared and ask knowledgeable questions and do everything I can for my beloved husband. It was very helpful Dolly