I've been having right side pain in my abdomin for sometime now....doctor suspected gallstones and did an ultrasound. Gallbladder is fine but ultrasound shows a small mass (about the size of an olive) on my right kidney. I'm scared.....could this be cancer? What else could it be....anyone else have this? I have to have a CT scan tomorrow but won't get results for a few days and I'm terrified not knowing whats going on. Any reassurance would be appreciated...thank you.

Shelli

Shelli, Drs. found a mass on my kidney by accident 20 years ago. Yea, I freaked! It is the size of a grape, mid portion in my right kidney and it is called a benign renal angiomyolipoma. My urologist has an ultrasound done yearly and it has not changed in size or shape. He said should there ever be a change he would biopsy it, otherwise leave it alone. It is a benign (non cancer) tumor. Occasionally I experience dull ache on the right side and the doctor claims these things bleed sometime and that is the dull pain I am feeling. I hope this is what you have because it is not cancer and you can live with it!!
Good luck and try not to be scared.

Sounds like exactly my problem. Had A CT and ultrasound, both indicated a 1 to 1.5cm mass on my right kidney. Waiting to see the urologist now.

Thanks for replying....I appreciate it. Best wishes to both of you.......

How did this turn out for you all?

My wife just got IVP results back. Her gyno of all people had ordered it. He wants her to get a referal to a urologist to evaluate it. He said he saw a mass on the IVP but didn't go into detail about size.

Are the odds that this is cancerous? Are there better odds that it's a stone?

She's almost 30yo now. Thyroid issues since she was young. We both quit smoking recently after smoking throughout our 20s. I know, that's not a good sign. She's had some flank pain and they detected slight blood in her urine which is what prompted this testing. She did a colonoscopy too just to be sure it wasn't bowel related, that all came back OK. The lower abdominal U/S didn't show anything in the lower urinary/pelvic area.

I can't seem to find many message about renal (kidney) mass. She had a cyst on one ovary but the gyno said it didn't look troubling at all which is why he ordered the IVP. When I search for info about that, I found all kinds of things about how ovarian cysts are relatively common. But I can't find anything about kidney mass except cancer. Is that really the highly likely possibility?

My CT scan results showed that the mass was a kidney cyst. Apparently these are quite common (although I had never heard of them prior to this). They are usually left alone unless they cause bleeding or severe pain.....my doctor recommended watching it by yearly ultrasound or CT scan and won't biopsy unless it grows larger.

Best wishes to you....I hope that your wifes problem is something as simple as mine.

My CT scan results showed that the mass was a kidney cyst. Apparently these are quite common (although I had never heard of them prior to this). They are usually left alone unless they cause bleeding or severe pain.....my doctor recommended watching it by yearly ultrasound or CT scan and won't biopsy unless it grows larger.

Best wishes to you....I hope that your wifes problem is something as simple as mine.

Shelli,

THANK YOU for the quick reply. This forum has been a Godsend for me over the last few months. In January, I was going through weird gastro issues, and of course freaking out that it could be cancer. Maybe it still could, but I felt a LOT better after they removed my gallbladder which turned out to test positive to chronis disease (test showed that before, then confirmed after removal). Anyway...

Next stop was wife got ultrasound back from ovaries that mentioned a cyst. The radiologist report used a frightening term but when the gyno (who is great) evaluated it, he said very common and not at all a problem.

Now this. She is freaked out now because her gyno obviously saw enough to warrant urologist. Then again, this guy is very good and is the kind of person who wants to make sure the best person for the job is on it. So it may just be precautionary.

Did you have any other symptoms like flank pain? My wife has had a fair share of that. What about blood in urine?

As with the other issues, I'd hate to self-diagnose based on anectdotal evidence, but hearing from people who have been in the same boat makes it SO much easier to go on with life between testing and appointments. I can see it now, another 2 weeks for urologist, then 2 weeks for the test, then 2 weeks for the results. Now that something has been identified, I really hope we can find a urologist who can meet ASAP. Especially since I'm hearing about people who are sadly diagnosed and have their kidney out within weeks.. it sounds like it could be urgent.

Any further info you have on how common regular kidney cysts are would be appreciated. I'm also wondering if it's just a stone.. maybe the gyno just can't say for sure but hopefully there's a good chance that it's harmless.

-Matt

Yes....the health forums here are definately a God send....I only wish I had found them much sooner as I've had to deal with many health issues over the past couple years. It sounds like you and your wife have also been thru alot.

My initial symptoms started with flank pain....actually doctor suspected gallbladder and found the kidney cyst as a fluke during a gallbladder ultrasound. At that point she seemed very concerned and insisted on a CT scan....scared me to death because doctor was very urgent and insistant on getting this done ASAP. The waiting for CT scan appointment and test results was awful....about a month before I got the reassuring diagnosis a simple kidney cyst (I have a family history of kidney cancer so I was quite worried). I was referred to a surgeon at that point who recommended the wait and see method....I have not had the cyst looked at since but the pain has pretty much disappeared so I'm asumming the cyst has also hopefully disappeared! I have had no occurance of blood in the urine either.

As for how common....the surgeon told me that most people will develop a kidney cyst as some point in their lifetime....most are just not found as they are often small enough not to cause pain. Most of these cysts are found on routine ultrasounds for other causes...... And kidney stones....I guess it's pretty easy to tell the difference. Ironically I was found to have a kidney stone on the opposite kidney, never had pain with it so we've left it alone for now also.

Best of luck to you and your wife.....I'm sure your gyno is just erroring on the side of caution.....take care!

We met with the Urologist today. So far, the IVP was inconclusive. It looked like there was a filling defect in the left renal pelvis. It turns out this is not the bulk of the kidney itself, it's like the "funnel" part of the ureter that attachs to the open area within the kidney, where the urine itself is stored.

The IVP showed that there's no blockage, both kidneys appear to be functioning fully, and the rest of the urinary tract was unremarkable.

A CT was done to get a better picture of this area. The CT was also unable to draw any conclusions. It mentioned that something appears to be there but it's too small or hard to visualize to know know what it is for sure.

The Urologist said that's she not completely convinced that there is anything at all. She said that a lot of times these images are looking through other body parts and don't already have an unobstructed view. She said that the only way to be sure is to have cystoscopy where she will visually explorer and either see something or not. She said *if* she sees something, she will biopsy it. She said based on where this thing would be, and since my wife is not diabetic nor taking HIV drugs, that it's really either (a) nothing or (b) a malignancy. She said it would NOT be renal cell if that's the case, but rather transitional cell.

My reading and her information says that transitional cell is about 10-15% of all kidney cancers. As with all kidney cancers, more likely in men. More likely starting at age 50 (my wife would be the youngest person this urologist has ever diagnosed with renal cancer). Really the only strikes against us at this point are (a) potentially positive image results and (b) my wife smoked for 8-10 years though not heavily.

The microscopic blood in urine is still present. They sent the urine out for cytology testing because that is somewhat accurate for detecting this type of cancer. The nurse said that might be back on Wednesday, and the cystoscopy is on Friday. We're not even sure if we want to know those results before Friday just because it would only freak us out even more. Surely we'll be freaked out if the Urologist sees a tumor since she said it would almost certainly be malignant. But at least if she sees it AND the urine comes back positive, we would then be 99% sure. Being only like 60% sure is what is killing us. We can't just accept it and then treat it aggressively. Instead we're just wondering. :(

We've now read up on the treatment and based on age it sounds like IF there is something there, following the path laid out, the kidney would be coming out. We were initially completely freaked out, and obviously we still are, but I think we've come to terms that living with one kidney would not be the end of the world and hopefully we're not talking terms like survival. That gives me some degree of reassurance, at least I can focus more on the loss of kidney rather than the loss of my wife. I just can't even think about that or I start to have a breakdown.

We went for a walk today to get some dinner. As we got there, I think we both came to the point where yes we're scared, but there's nothing we can do other than take whatever comes head on. I am picturing the Urologist coming out of the exam and telling me that she found nothing at all, and everything is just fine.

Hopefully this helps others who read it! I can't find many messages about Transitional Cell Cancer. It seems like Kidney Cancer itself is quite rare, and the transitional cell form is one of the rarer forms at that.

-Matt

Some of this brought

Well....I wish you all the best and hopefully the rest of your test will show nothing......I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers...please do update when you get results.

Good news! The urologist came out of the procedure and told me that she didn't see anything remarkable at all. It was probably just an anatomical abnormality that caused a few of the X-ray films to look slightly suspicious. This will probably be in the 1/3 of all microscopic hematuria that there's no good explanation for. Urine Cytology report came back the day before the exam and was normal too. Wife is in some discomfort just from the procedure itself and they had to use a small stent that will come out on Thursday.

Hope this helps somebody who ends up in a similar boat down the road. Just because something looks suspicious on an X-ray, there are often other more likely possibilities if the imaging tests are inconclusive.

I am in a boat myself.
I'm new here and was wanting to throw some questions out.

I did have an ultrasound done for my gallbladder and found the complicated cystic mass on the lower pole of my left kidney. It measures 2.4 cm in diameter and is not painful. I have been having upper right quadrant pain and IBS as well as bloody mucous stools.

When my dr told me about the cysts, I was not worried b/c I have had a cyst in my breast for a few years now and thought nothing of it ... until..
I came home and did some investigating. I was horrified! I found that since my cyst in my breast was fluid filled, that made everything much better and safe... but the one(s) on my kidney are "massy" and solid filled.

I got the CT scan results back today and the nurse says everything looks fine. Not much detail at all.. So I requested my dr call me back so I could get some answers to it all.

I'm confused ..
I found nothing positive on this subject.. all negative. I do want a Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) done b/c I am so nervous about it all. That's the only way to "be sure" and sometimes that's not good enough. I have smoked for 11 years and am 28 years old. I know neoplasm is highly unlikely due to my age, but I am not looking forward to finding something down the road that I could have done something about.

How do I ask my dr for a FNA and how do you handle the "second opinion" issue?
Also, I have had many of the renal carcinoma symptoms and even a rare one that is weird.. the back and forth movement of my eyes.. weird.
I am confused as to where to go from here.
Please help.

Thank you for your time!

Julia

Julia,

This may not bring you a lot of comfort, but a few things to keep in mind. For starters, if you read the big medical sites and read the symptoms of kidney cancer, you'll find that the same exact symptoms apply to host of other conditions. In fact, I never found those sites to be very useful. If they tell you that a symptom is headaches, then you tend to remember every headache you've ever had and start to think maybe they've all been caused by something bad. Try reading forums like this instead and see what symptoms people really have. For example, most medical sites and doctors all seem to think that ovarian cysts do not cause any pain. But you'll read plenty of messages on this forum alone of people who say otherwise.

You will probably not find much positive on the subject. Mostly because it's more helpful for sites to give info on the worst possible scenario. A lot of people will not pursue their medical issues aggressively. If they are given the worst case scenario, it might save their life. But still, the odds are in your favor, and you should continue to be aggressive in getting answers just to put your mind at ease.

Another thing to remember is that kidney cancer itself is rare. They mention a pole. Does that mean the "meat" of the kidney or the tube leading out? Or kind of the "fingers" that extend into the renal pelvis? You're 28, and smoked for 11 years. Obviously this is a great reason to quit smoking, but any urologist will tell you that when they hear about possible kidney cancer they expect to see a 55 year old man who has chain smoked for 35 years. Granted, this does not eliminate the possibility for you, but just remember that it's still highly unlikely.

2.5cm is very small. Have they done a urine cytology? This will sometimes show cancer cells in the urine if that's what it is. This test isn't 100%, but it can at least put your mind at ease. If nothing else, if the test is negative, our urologist explained that it would at least indicate that it's a slow growing cancer and not as aggressive. The size would also indicate that it's new. Kidney cancer from my reading is highly treatable. Granted, nobody *wants* to lose a kidney, but of all cancers, and based on the size of this mass and your age, the doctors would be highly confident that you would be fully cured.

Now, all of this is just assuming the worst. Until something proves that it's bad, you can't assume that it is. Most of the time, kidney masses are imaged with at least two studies. In your case, they did an ultrasound which is generally good for "all clear" type looks and size measurements. It's not always all that great at qualitatively looking at something. A CT scan is good for positioning and other things. They generally do it with dye and without dye to see if this area "lights up" or not. If they both, and the nurse told you it's nothing to worry about, then chances are good that this mass did light up. From what I was told, if it lights up then it's probably just a regular cyst or a benign tumor or a blood clot.

Remember, if it's not in the renal pelvis, even if it's not a simple cyst, there's still a good chance that it's benign, whatever it is. If they find something in the renal pelvis, and it's not just a crossing vessel like a vein, then we were told that it's likely to be cancer. If it's in the "meat" of the kidney, then it can be a whole host of things.

Our urologist and the second opinion both said that it wasn't likely for a 29 year old female who smoked for 11 years to have any form of kidney cancer. But the Xray IVP image did have some "suspicious" results that warranted clarification. I don't know if the same cystoscopy can look into the "meat" of the kidney, but that's what we did to exam the renal pelvis. My wife is still going through the side effects of the invasive exam. She regrets the exam, though we are both glad that our mind is put at ease.

Another option the second opinion told us was that we could wait 3 months and have more imaging done to see if it changed shape at all. He said that this is generally the less aggressive option that older people take because they're already old and they tend to feel that another 3 months probably won't change the outcome much. When you're late 20s, it's good to be more aggressive because the doctors would expect a full cure and long healthy life.

The second urologist also told us that it wasn't likely to be a secondary cancer that came from somewhere else. But remember, our "suspicious" shadow was in the renal pelvis, the funnel at the top of the tube leading down to the bladder (i.e. transitional cell). I'm not sure how that applies to renal cell, but he mentioned that generally the brain, lungs, bones, and lymph nodes are the places that cancer usually spreads to. Also, take solice in the fact that they have done two imaging studies and nothing unusual at all was seen anywhere else.

Even in the worst case scenario, which is highly unlikely itself, you are highly likely to live a long healthy life. And in our case, the doctors had suspicions. They told us that we shouldn't be worried since nothing has been found for certain, but they all thought further investigation should be done. All of them. If your doctor doesn't think it's anything unusual, and you read the CT report yourself and the radiologist didn't see anything that stood out, chances are great that it is just that.. nothing. Especially considering the radiologist is doing a follow up study and practically trying to find something juicy for his report. If he was focused on that area and still didn't see anything, breath easy!

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William,

It depends on several factors. Where exactly is the mass located? If the mass is in the renal pelvis, then we were told that it's almost surely cancer and based on imaging studies, the chances go up. So if the imaging is inconclusive, they might do a cystoscopy to confirm.

The renal pelvis is not the "meat" of the kidney. It's the funnel area where the wide part touches the meat of the kidney, and the narrow part connects to the ureter (which leads to your bladder). If there an obvious mass in that part, everything I've read and been told says that it's almost surely cancer. In the renal pelvis, ureter, and (I think) bladder.. it's called transitional cell carcinoma.

Keep in mind, the possible mass in my wife's renal pelvis turned out to be nothing. How did they decide that? They performed a cystoscopy which then used a flexible camera to then go up the ureters and visualize the renal pelvis. I do not know if that sort of test is useful for masses in the "meat" of the kidney. This type of cancer would be called renal cell carcinoma.

Renal cell is much more common than transitional cell. Additionally, a mass that is in the area where it would be renal cell.. that location can have benign tumors almost as often as cancer. Because of that, if they suspect renal cell, I think it would be best to get a second opinion while you await the MRI.

They can also do urine tests to check for cancer cells. These tests cannot confirm or deny cancer. What they can do is at least speak somewhat to the aggressiveness of the possible cancer. If they find cancer cells in the urine, then chances are probably good that the mass is cancer. It might be aggressive, it might not be.

If the urine test does NOT show cancer cells, that doesn't eliminate cancer as a possibility. However, we were told that not finding those cells in the urine would at least indicate that the cancer is not an aggressive form. One of our urologists explained that aggressive cancers tend to shed cells more often than lesser-aggressive forms.

I'd suggest that you ask your urologist about this type of test in addition to the MRI. And while you wait, definitely get a second opinion. If the mass is located in the renal pelvis, they should be able to do a fairly conclusive biopsy but like I said, the odds are good that any mass in that location is cancer.

If it's in the "meat" of the kidney, then they suspect renal cell. I think renal cell may require a different biopsy, such as a long needle guided by ultrasound. One risk with any biopsy is that it can break the wall and let the cancer spread.

Your age will also be a factor. If you're young, the cancer might be aggressive, and the imaging studies are fairly conclusive (always get a second opinion to interpret just how conclusive an imaging study is).. then they are recommending kidney removal for a couple reasons. Living with 1 kidney is not a big deal, though obvious nobody wants to lose 1 kidney if they can avoid it. Curing kidney cancer is almost much more likely by removing the kidney. If you are young, they would expect a full cure and a long healthy life. But they want to catch it fast before it spreads to improve the odds of that.

Ask more questions to find out more about what the imaging studies say. We had to get our original imaging studies to drag around between two urologists for two opinions. Don't be afraid to be aggressive like that. Most doctors will appreciate that you are taking it seriously and want to make the best choice.

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THis is happening everywhere. I had a routine bone scan for my arthritis, and the bone scan showed a right kidney problem. Possible mass or cyst. Saw my urlogist and he scheduled an ultrasound of the kidney and said not to worry. Since the mass was not there last july when I had a CT of the adbomen, it was unlikely to be anything bad. Said it might just be kidney scaring from a previous kidney infection as a child.
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Meanwhile my primary physican scared me with thoughs of cancer and she ordered both a CT scan and an MRI of the kidney.
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I spend all my time researching kidney cancer on the web and reading threads like this one.
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The MRI is friday and the ultrasound next thursday, I still need to schedule the CT.
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The waiting is driving me crazy. I will see my primary doc today and ask for some xanax or sometrhing to calm me down.

Well, you really need to know more specifics. It sounds like it's the more typical renal cell carcinoma that they fear. That may change the ways they attempt to diagnose. I'm not exactly sure how they biopsy a tumor that is not in the renal pelvis. Some have said a long needle guided by ultrasound, others have mentioned laproscopic surgery to investigate.

I've never really heard that biopsies are inaccurate. However, if they are going up the ureters with a scope, one of our urologists described it like this: sometimes you go up there, an grab a part of the mass with the little claw, and then you slowly pull the tube back out. Since it's a fair distance up there, a lot of times by the time the tube is all the way out, there's no longer anything in the gripping part. It sounds like the biopsy is accurate, but sometimes they are worried that they might not get the cells from the mass itself. And like I mentioned, I think they are afraid to disturb the mass in case it is cancer and it spreads.

You may also consider risk factors. Smoking, being female, being old.. those are risk factors. How old is old? Nobody knows. 50+ tends to increase the risk but obviously being 80 has more risk than being 50 which has more risk than being 20. Women are much more likely to get kidney cancer than men, but gender is no guarantee either. Smokers get it more than non-smokers, but it can happen to non-smokers as well.

If you have a lot of risk categories, and the imaging shows a mass, then they are probably trying to brace you for the worst and make sure you take it seriously. The bump on your nose, from what our urologist said, is not likely to be related. Ours told us that kidney cancer doesn't tend to be one that spreads to distant locations, it would probably go to the lymph nodes first. If they didn't see anything in your lymph nodes, you might be able to breath easier by thinking that you're probably not dying right now and even if this is a worst case scenario, it is not a death sentence by any stretch.

Farscape: If they just caught a glimpse of something, I really wouldn't worry. My wife had some imaging done that specifically targetted the kidney. They caught what appeared to be a glimpse of something. She went through an invasive test which revealed that there was absolutely nothing there. Even if there is something there in your case, there are still plenty of odds that it's a harmless cyst, or like your Dr said maybe scarring, etc. Whenever they see anything that doesn't visualize, the "possible mass or cyst" is the radiologist's way of saying that there might be something there worth looking into.

Good luck both of you!

Thanks for the reassurance. Just got the Renal CT scan scheduled for tomorrow at 3 PM. Should know something more definite early next week.

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Ask the urologist also about an IVP. This will measure the flow of a radioactive juice through your kidneys while taking Xrays as it passes through. They can then get a better "head on" view of the mass and where it's located.

My understanding is that CT is good for size and placement, but often needs to corroborated with at least one other imaging study.

You always have the option of watchful waiting. Our urologist told us that in older patients who might not fare so well in surgery, they often wait a couple months then take more images to see if it has grown. You might want to think about the last time that an imaging study was done on you that would have possibly seen this area. For example, if you just had a CT done a year ago and it was not there, that might be a bad sign. But if you've never really had an image taken of your kidneys, then I think you are taking the right approach to get another imaging study first.

Remember, a week or two usually doesn't change the prognosis, if it really does turn out to be cancer. And believe me, I know it's easier said than done. My wife and I went through at least a month of torturous waiting and imaging studies.

The urine test for cancer cells can also give you some relief. If they find nothing, that means waiting a couple weeks for another imaging study probably isn't going to change anything. If no cells are found, that often indicates a slow growing non-aggressive tumor.. and above all else, remember that there's still a certain chance that it's NOT cancer. The only sure way is to biopsy it. But if several different imaging studies all look highly suspicious, I think the doctors will be right when they suggest removal.

So you are doing the right things. Keep asking the doctors questions. When they show you films, make sure you not only ask them to interpret what they see, but also ask them to explain how it would look different it was something else. Make them explain what they see that is leading them to the conclusion that it is cancer. And again, renal cell is the most common but confirm what TYPE of cancer they suspect (renal or transitional).

Correction: In a previous post I said that kidney cancer doesn't spread to distant locations. That is mostly wrong. After thinking about it, my urologist was answer my question about whether my wife's dark spot could be secondary cancer from somewhere else. I was worried that maybe (a) it was a cancer and (b) we hadn't even found the real source. The urologist said that secondary tumors usually happen in the brain, lungs, lymph nodes, and I think bones. He said that if cancer is indeed found in a kidney, it is usually the primary cancer and not one that came from somewhere else.

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Insist n an MRI it is more accurate for soft tissue. It's your body, I would hae at least 2 scans before deciding.

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I am in a similar position. Bone scan 2 weeks ago showed abnormal right kidney. CT scan of adbomen from last year was all clear. Can a kidney tumor grow in only 10 months. Dr suspects bone scan has shown kidney scaring from previous kidney infection and says probably nothing to worry about.
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But to be sure he ordered a CT (today at 3PM). He will call me on monday with the CT results. If something is suspicious, I allready have the MRI set for next wednesday, and kidney ultrasound for next thursday. If CT is clear then we cancel the MRI and Ultrasound and call it quits.
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Make sure things are done throughly. I insist that all bases be covered.
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If worse comes to worse and all 3 scans confirm something, then I will insist on a biopsy before allowing kidney removal. In my case if something is there it's only a few months old, so I have the time to get completly tested and will insist on it.

Well every tumor of course has a first ten months of growing. The question is whether it could grow to a certain size in 10 months. Obviously the first step in farscape's case is to get a CT scan to figure out what size they are talking about. And don't forget, it's possible that they just didn't notice it 10 months ago, maybe it was too small then but large enough now. Size should be able to at least tell you something anectdotally. And again, position within the kidney is important too (renal vs transitional). And don't forget risk factors like smoking, age, gender.

When you look at the whole picture, it will hopefully be enough to lean one way or the other.

In my wife's case, the only things against us were:

1. Something unusual seemed to show on Xray and CT scan.
2. Microscopic blood in urine, which is what caused the tests.
3. She had smoked for 10 years prior.
4. She is female.

Other than that, we had a lot in favor of making it unlikely (and in our case, it turned out to be gas they think):

1. It was in the renal pelvis which is a relatively rare form of kidney cancer.
2. She is 29, very young for kidney cancer though not impossible.
3. Blood work and urine work was all clear.
4. The "thing" was fairly small (1cm I think).

Now keep in mind that there was strange "shadow" on the IVP Xrays. In some films it looked like the edge of the shadow cut outside the kidney.. as if it was not inside the kidney but in front of the kidney and blocking the xray from passing as cleanly. Other films the urologist showed us and said "but then on these two, it looks somewhat suspicious." Remember, it turned out that nothing was up there and it was either an outside vein pressing on the renal pelvis, or an anatomical defect, or some kind of gas. The CT scan confirmed that something appeared to be there. Though honestly, the radiologist who performed the CT scan had seen the Xray and knew what he was looking for.. I think that influenced how he saw the images.

Granted, neither of our two imaging studies were anywhere near conclusive. Even the urologists who saw them admitted that they couldn't even be positive that anything at all was there. So if the radiologist report doesn't sound like they are clearly convinced to the point that they can see something and even make judgements about the consistency of the mass.. then I wouldn't take it as the gospel. Even with two imaging studies, they may not be 100% sure.

Farscape: I wouldn't lose sleep over it just yet. You had an imaging study that wasn't even focusing on the kidney. My wife had an Xray procedure called IVP where they injected her with a dye so they could visualize the kidneys more clearly. Then a CT scan where they paid extra attention to the kidney. After all that, it was absolutely nothing. If you have other things going for you like non-smoker, male, youth, a previous imaging just 10 months ago, no blood in urine, good blood test results.. I think the odds are that it might be nothing.. and if it does turn out to be something, there are still good odds that it's harmless.

Good luck both of you!

I'm 45 male, never smoked, 260 lbs, 6ft 2 in.

Forgot to also mention have had an adbnomila ultrasound that gives a short look at the kidneys in feburary and it said kidneys normal. Numerous x-rays (called KUB's ) of kidneys all say normal (done dec 03 - feb-04).

It turns out that thee radioactive dye they use for bone scans is filtered out by the kidneys, so it is common that when they do a bone scan they also write a kidney report. Dr. calls a bone scan a poor man's IVP.

Never had an IVP. It requires an 18 hour bowell prep, which I refused to do, as I hade alternating dirreah and constipation and was afraid the prep would make it worse.

3 hours till the CT scan, be good to get it over with, but I expect they will not tell me anything.

Dr. is out tomorrow back on monday and should have "wet" reading by then. Promises to call my cell phone on monday. If they call and say come to the office and talk, I expect that is a very bad sign. Hopefully they will just say ALL CLEAR!

Forgot to mention, location was lower pole of right kidney. Not sure if that is a good location or not. No size was specified by the bone scan. I guess it was not accurate enough to give a size.

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I understand the biopsy can also be dangerous, risk of bleeding, require 24 hour hospital stay etc. I never heard of them being unreliable. I thought they were very reliable. But I'm not a doctor. I had a co-worker who had a biopsy of kidney, says its excrutiaing painful. After he was on morphine for the time he was in the hospital.
Scares me to think about it.

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farscape: Everything you're saying sounds like there is nothing to worry about. You're male, never smoked, and even your age is just barely on the low end of the more common range. Granted, none of this makes it impossible, but the chances are good. Plus, you've had several imaging studies and even a poor man's IVP at least means they would probably see something there if it had been there. Maybe it was too small before, or maybe it's a simply cyst or a host of other benign possibilities.

I wouldn't lose any sleep over it if I were you. And honestly, I would be completely amazed if they get the CT back and will be able to tell you anything more than "suspicious" or "not suspicious." I highly doubt that there will be any sort of "come to the office in person" type bad news. I am pretty sure the worst case scenario would be that the radiologist sees a mass and gives an opinion on what it might be. At that point, the two most likely outcomes are:

A. Nothing suspicious. Either the original Xray had an artifact, or it's clearly a simple cyst and nothing to worry about.

B. Something suspicious. The radiologist will probably suggest further testing and possibly a biopsy.

So don't worry! If it's something, it's something, and another couple days don't mean very much. If it's something, you are likely to make a full recovery and live a long healthy life. Again, nobody WANTS to lose a kidney, it's a very scary prospect, but of all cancers in the world, this one seems to have a very good success rate if caught early. In your case, with all the imaging you've had, you will be talking VERY early. And again, this is all assuming that it's the worst case scenario!

I'm a poker player, and I would say that your odds are extremely good that in a week you'll be like me.. posting here about a kindey *scare* that you experienced. :)

I've always been told the opposite. I've been told that biopsy is in fact the ONLY test that can be conclusive.

To biopsy a kidney tumor, I think there are two methods. One is a long needle through the back which navigates into the kidney using a live ultrasound to guide it. The risk is that the need can navigate its way through things that it shouldn't be putting holes in (intestines, biliary ducts, etc.).

The other method is laproscopic surgery. They cut 3-4 small holes in strategic places on your abdomen. They insert a small camera to see, a probe of sorts to move things out of the way, and another tool that can get close to the kidney to insert a needle and drain tissue from the tumor.

I had laproscopic surgery in February 2004 to remove my gallbladder. Incidentally, a non-functioning gallbladder had been giving me symptoms of alternative diarhea/constipation (mostly diarhea though) for a couple years and finally it had really shut down and was causing weird internal bloating.

Anyway, my point being that this type of surgery has good recovery times. The cuts were small and healed fast without stiches. During my wife's scare, I read that lapro is also used to remove kidneys now (seems weird, maybe they make one hole larger than the one they pulled my gallbladder out of). That's just a side note, because neither of you have been given any results that indicate kidney cancer.

Just remember, until you get test results that lean towards bad, keep on assuming the best! One imaging study is not nearly enough to diagnose kidney cancer. At most, one imaging study can only raise suspicions but that is it.

As for the urine tests, it's hard to say. You might be interpretting the conference in a different way. From what our urologists told us and what I read, the urine cytology test can indeed diagnose cancer coming from either the kidneys, ureter, or bladder. BUT... and this is a huge but... it cannot RULE OUT cancer in the kidneys, ureter, nor bladder.

So if you get a urine cytology report and it finds cancer cells, then I believe even before that conference, a urologist would diagnose you with cancer. HOWEVER.. if you get a urine cytology report and it finds nothing, you CANNOT be assured that you don't have cancer.

Cancer tumors tend to shed cells. They don't always do it though. And even if they shed some cells, a non-aggressive tumor won't shed as many. And when they take the urine sample, it's possible that there are either not enough cells to be detected, or the tumor just wasn't shedding at the time. So this test is good to take if you suspect kidney, ureter, or bladder cancer. But if it comes back clear, it can't be used to prove that you do not have it.

So I recommend the test, but you need to look at the whole picture. Use the urine cytology, your risk factors, and at least two imaging studies. If there is still some suspicion after all that, a biopsy is the only thing that will let you sleep easy. But all kidney biopsies are invasive and painful, so you first want to cover all of the non-invasive steps. Most of the time, the big picture will end up showing that it's something harmless.

I know how hard that advice is to swallow. It's hard to put your mind at ease through all of this. I was a complete mess the whole time waiting for results. Then when they did the cystoscopy surgery and the doctor came out and told me she didn't find anything.. it was like a weight lifted off my shoulders.

Good luck!

Well the CT scan is done. It was not a lot of fun as they insisted on placing an IV and leaving it for the whole scan. I had thought they would do a simple injection, but they did it the complex way.
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I await my drs call on monday. I will try and not worry about it this weekend. I'll go to a movie for distraction and fun. Van Helsing looks interesting.

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Again, these tests cannot rule out cancer. There is no test that you can take that will determine that there is no cancer anywhere in your body. There are a few tests which, if they return a positive result, are good indicators that you DO have cancer. But the opposite is never true. These tests cannot exclude the possibility of cancer. The only test that can tell you "no" for sure is a biopsy. And that test will only say "no" for the specific mass that was tested.

As for the symptoms, I really don't know. I would say this: be very careful not to worry yourself will symptoms. Everybody does it, it's hard to stop. If you read that a symptom of kidney cancer is a pain in your finger, you are more likely to feel a pain in your finger.

I did not see very many specific symptoms about kidney cancer. You might try some of the forums here to look for specifics. I will stay on the topic of this thread and tell you what I went through during the "scare" phase of what turned out to be nothing more than a scare.

I would hear my wife cough and instantly get nervous that the cancer had spread to her lungs. If she had some back pain we would both worry that it was caused by the possible mass (which wasn't even real). Every ache and pain we would worry that it was a bad sign.

I think most of us when we are not in this scare phase have quite a few coughs and aches and pains. We don't even notice most of them because they are quite normal. When we get a questionable test result back, we immediately convince ourself that these common things are "symptoms."

In my gallbladder situation, the more I worried about it, the more pressure I could feel. Then I had it removed and most of the sensations were gone. When I went through the scare with my wife shortly afterwards, the pressure came back almost immediately. A lot of it was pyschologically triggered. Now that we aren't worried anymore, I feel great!

Maybe they are real, maybe they aren't real. I would suggest not paying much attention to these things because they are probably triggered by your brain. I know how you are feeling, and I would tell you to not go read some of the actual kidney cancer posts, but I know you will probably want to do it.

Remember, this topic is mostly about kidney masses that turned out to nothing.. but scared the people going through it. Let's hope both of the latest posters here end up with the same outcome as the rest of us!!

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Another false alarm. Renal CT revealed scaring from a previous kidney infection but no tumors or cycts. Kidneys functioning perfectly normally. All other tests have been canceled except the 24 hour urine test (just to see what they will learn about my previous stone problems).
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So I join the others who have survived the kidney cancer panic.

Some good news for all you frightened folks out there. My father had an 8 lb. (Yes, the size of a child!) mass removed along with one of his kidneys. He had been gaining weight, and felt like something was in there, but there was not pain, no palpable mass, no shortness of breath nothing.

After it's removal, a specimen was sent to 4 different cancer specialists down at the Houston Medical Center. NO CANCER! So try not to be too worried, sometimes these things are benign!

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A week ago I got severe abdominal pains on the right side. Long story short I was diagnosed with kidney stones but on the CT a mass about 3.1 came up on my left kidney. I had the CT redone with contrast and I was told the mass "light up" apparently this is not good. I have to get an MRI to better asses if this is cancerous.

My question is: I need to hear from people who also had this found and it turned out NOT to be cancer. Looking for encouragement.

I am 33 y.o do not smoke or drink. I have no symptoms on my left kidney only the mass that was discovered.

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I had an MRI done yesterday and I am waiting for the results. I should see the doctor either today or Monday. I know exactly hoe you feel. I just keep focused on God and keep proclaiming that He is going to heal me and that the tumor is benign. It is keeping me calm and I am believing in a miracle.

It is very hard because your mind just takes off at 100 miles thinking the worst.

I will be praying for you as well.

Jesse

A couple months back my sister was urinating pure blood. She went and had tests, but nothing definite showed up. They could not give her a diagnosis. Last week, she was having pain in her leg, so her Orthopedist sent her for an MRI to rule out a compressed disc. The MRI showed a "mass" on her kidney. She was sent for a CT two days later, but will not know the results until Tuesday (she went for the CT Friday). She is so upset that she took off work. We have no family history of cancer. She is 45, smokes, drinks. She was diagnosed with Lyme disease a few years back. She has had tests for thyroid disorder because of sudden weight changes and fatigue. So, I don't know what to say to her except not to expect the worst. I can't image her growing a malignant tumor all of a sudden; if it wasn't there previously (I'm not sure they sent her for a CT when she was urinating blood). So, say a prayer for her! Thanks! I will keep you all posted!

I will keep you sister in my prayers. How big was the mass?

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They said it's the size of a walnut. The other thing that my mother and I were just talking about is back in the 50's, when my sister was still a little girl, she had a strange birthmark on her back in the area of her kidneys. Back then, the doctor used radium or some type of radiation treatment to get rid of the birthmark. My mom said she remembers seeing something in a magazine about people who had that treatment are developing cancers. She said if it turns out to be cancerous, she will feel so bad, but all she did was listen to her physician then. They didn't realize what the long term effects would be. And she did have an IVP test and everything a few months ago when she was urinating buckets of blood, but the mass didn't show up. So go figure!

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Well, the CT scan confirmed what the MRI said - she has a solid mass on her kidney the size of a walnut. Now she is being sent for a biopsy! I am still wondering why an MRI, then a CT and then a biopsy? :confused: :( I agreed that the MRI is more detailed than an CT scan, so why send her for one after they already had a mass? So, she goes for biopsy tomorrow and then they will let her know next week as to the results of that biopsy. So she is a still a wreck. How are all of you holding up? Prayers go out to everyone! And remember to claim your own healing as well! :angel:

I have chosen not to have a biopsy, per Dr.'s advise due to the fact that he said if it is it could contaminate the surronding tissues. I am just going to have my kidney removed as the Dr. states this the is best choice for a positive prognosis. I am 33 and have a long life ahead. I praise God that I got the kidney stone because this was the way that the mass was discovered. I continue to claim my healing but also a long and healthy life where I will get to play with my grandchildren.

God Bless You all.
My surgery is scheduled to 6-15-04, please keep me in your prayers.

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I saw another Urologist for a 2nd opinion and he advised me the same thing. "I should consider surgery". My surgery is scheduled for 6/15/04. Please keep me in your prayers. I am going to advise the Dr. doing the surgery that I will allow him to remove my entire kidney but once he is in there if he strongly believes he can save part of my kidney but be sure all of the cells from the mass are out then he can leave part of it in.

The procedure is going to be laprascopic. I am getting this done fast because I want this part of my life over and I want to move on. One thing for sure is it has truly drawn me closer to God and has made my priorities a lot clearer.

God Bless,
Jesse

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I can't believe you are waiting so long for an MRI report! Well, my sister had her CT scan and was sent to the same urologist that she saw back when she was urinating clots and blood. He couldn't find the notes from when she was in a few months back. He looked at her CT scan for 45 minutes and came back and said it was no different than the one she back a few months back! She said no one told her back then that she had a mass. She said she wanted a second opinion, so he took it out to another associate and they said the same thing; basically to do nothing. :eek:

He said, "I would hate to leave a tumor in a 44-year-old woman". :confused: What?!!!!
She is so freaked out and doesn't know what to do! So I told her to go to Hershey, PA. They have specialists up there that can deal with her better than that! He really didn't tell her if it is a tumor, what kind, that it was there before, etc. I can't believe this. If it's something that size and she has all these symptoms, why aren't they doing anything or giving her answers?

Okay, it was THREE YEARS AGO that he supposedly saw the mass on her CT scan. He said it could be anything, a fatty tumor, a benign tumor or a cancerous one, but he had lost his notes!

So now she is going to her family doctor and asking what he sent in the report three years ago, plus going for a second opinion at Hershey. If they find it to be cancerous, I told her to sue that doctor for never telling her she had something showing up or following up on it! Gross negligence! :nono:

I hope you get your MRI results soon enough! I will keep in touch!

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Had Laprascopic Radical Nephrectomy on 6-15-04. Recovery is slow but at least I am up and around. Biopsy of the mass was Renal Cell Carcinoma. The mass was 3.1 cm. Fortunatly, it did not spread. Doctor told me all the cells around the tumor were negative and it did not breakthrough the kidney. He said basically I am "CURED", Praise God.

It was a total of 3 weeks from the time the mass was discovered and removed. I did not want to play around with this by sitting and watching it. A lot of praying and direction form God helped me deceid to get this surgery and I am very happy I did.

God Bless,
Jesse

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Recovery has been slow. Not very much pain but a lot of fatigue. No chemo needed. Doctor keeps telling me to walk around as much as possible.

How are you feeling? Any updates?

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hi there im 33 year old male from the uk.
well ive been reading thru this thread for the last hour.
i went to my doctor (who is pretty useless) some 3 years agong weight and appetite etc and working long hours,he suggested complan so i tried no luck.
anyway last year i was starting to get pains in my wrists and back.so he sent me for a blood test for arthiritus,he told me to phone up and arrange an appointment in 2 weeks for my results.
which i did only to be told by the receptionist that my bloods are fine and i do not need an appointment.
i have been going to the doctors regulary this year with pains in my abdomin.
which he just prescribed different drug after different drug with no luck.
then in may this year i was really fed up with this pain in my stomach as its been going on for too long so i booked another appointment.
when i got to the doctor's my doctor wasnt there so i had to see another doctor,who felt my stomach and instantly sent me to hospital.
i went straight into hospital and had an xray and a ultrasound.
this revealed a lump on my right kidney i then had a ct scan which showed the deformed kidney with a tumor aprox which was 4.5cm x 4.5cm .
i was then told this was renal cell cancer.
all the tests took 2 weeks,i was kept in the told about the cancer on the friday.i had a radical right nephrectomy on the tuesday and was at home the following monday.
i then had to go and see the surgeon for the histology.this was great as it turned out that it wasnt cancer but a typical angiomyolipoma.this is normally totally benign but because it is a typical its showing signs of being active.
so now i have fully recovered from the op apart from the odd twing,but im still getting the pains in my stomach.so the surgeon said that he would like my gp to request some further tests asap.the first test being an gastroscopsy,well words cant explain how horrible that was.no sedation at all.
turned out to be all fine and they said that i should have a colonoscopy.
so i have been to my gp and he,s now saying we will wait now.for what?a letter.so in the mean time hes back to his old tricks of drug after drug.
now to top this all off,your gonna love this i phoned and got an appointment with my doctor cos i was fed up with this ache in my bowel area and slight shooting pains in my left kidney side.
i got into his surgery and he popped me on the bed,i lifted up my top and he said "whats the scar from"
this is my doctor after all ive been thru i couldnt beleive it.
i am now changing practise and have a medical this weds with the new doctor.
so people seem to think i may have colitus or ibs.any ideas.
well thanks for reading my little story thru hell,hope your experience is a bit of a better one.
cheers