Uh, thanks. Well you would be happy to hear that I don't eat fatty fried meat.....I stopped eating that sort of food two years ago. I do drink milk though, because it IS good for you. I don't think I have cancer (yet).
I had a couple questions. Was a biopsy performed? What kind of biopsy? What type of tumor is it? Have you had a CT scan? What did the doctor suggest? Did you get a second opinion?
It really depends on a lot of things. Some benign tumors can behave like cancerous tumors and should be treated like them. Some can turn cancerous over time. Some are harmless to you.
I'm not trying to worry you. I'm sure you've talked to the doctor and he/she probably knows more of what's going on. It's just that with the limited information we have here it would be hard to advise you on what to do. Good luck.
Oh, I haven't had a biopsy yet. I'm not sure what else the tumor is, only that it's in my kidney and it's benign and 6.5 mm. I will be seeing my urologist this Monday the 11th. Before I see him though, I'll be getting a renal ultrasound. Do you think this will help show the tumor better?
Usually, a benign tumour does not turn into a malignant tumour. However, a large benign tumour can, because of its size and location, cause harm. If this tumour is located near the tubules serving your kidneys, they may cause blockage - definitely not a good thing.
"Benign" - if you do opt for surgery, insist on a biopsy. This is the only definitive way to determine whether the tissue is malignant or benign, by putting the tissue under a microscope and looking at its cellular structure.
If you're interested in learning about how cells switch from being "normal" to being cancerous, look up "oncogenes". As you can guess from the word, the problem starts at the genetic level - mutation, transcription errors, replication errors, etc. It's a very interesting area in cancer and molecular biology research.
The renal ultrasound and appointment went well. The tumor I have is called an angiomyolipoma (AML) - angio meaning "blood vessel," myo meaning "muscle," and lipoma meaning "fat." Basically, it is a tumor composed of fat. I'm getting a CT scan done in April. Anyone else have an AML?
Sounds like you have a good prognosis, hope your surgery goes well.
BTW - Careful when discussing your tumor for the first time with any new physicians esp. HEM/ONCs. AML usually/also refers to acute myelogenous leukemia which usually includes a bone marrow transplant as part of the therapy.
Kidney tumor a concern? 
Well you would be happy to hear that I don't eat fatty fried meat.....I stopped eating that sort of food two years ago. I do drink milk though, because it IS good for you. I don't think I have cancer (yet).
