Kidney Cancer

[janelle]

I went to the urologist today for a second opinion , he said i should have a biopsy done. I asked if it is cancer could it spread if I have a biopsy done, He said no. I know someone who had 2 doctors tell them not to get biopsy because the cancer could spread, one doctor was from university of Iowa What is everyone opinion?

[gborin]

I asume you mean can cancer spread from a biopsy. I would not ask that question to a bunch of lay people. I am sure that this would depend on the type of cancer suspected , how far developed it is and where it is located,. Please rely on the opinion of the urolgist, oncologist or surgeon doing the biopsy.

[gibsonk]

My doctor from Mayo clinic in Jacksoville, Fl. said it is possible. They also said because of the size of my tumor it had to come out even if it wasn't malignant so there was no reason to do a biopsy. I was also told that if the scan showed a solid mass vs. fluid filled, it was most likley malignant. After my nephrectomy it was confirmed to be malignant. That was in 7/05. If I were you I would get a second opinion by a specialist that knows new treatment options.

[rscott12345]

From what I have read before my biopsy, there is a 1% chance of spreading the cancer with a biopsy. In mine they used a CT guided coaxial needle so the actual sample was contained in the outer hollow needle while it was pulled out. My 'cyst' was indeterminate, meaning it was not solid enough to be labeled as cancer, so my urologist would not take it out without a biopsy. The procedure was painless and proved definitive for kidney cancer.

I would have preferred to skip the biopsy, but another kidney cancer specialist I consulted with said it was the right thing to do with an indeterminate cyst, which is one that is too solid to be a liquid benign cyst and not solid enough to be a solid cancerous tumor.

Just make sure the radiologist who does the biopsy uses a coaxial needle!

Randy

[camper37]

I was informed that I had an 'irregular' tumor on my kidney last July (08) and after a follow-up MRI the little sucker was still there but had not grown (2.4cm).

One doctor told me that a biopsy would not prove whether it was or was not cancer since they could not be sure that they accually obtained cells from the tumor. He told me I should have the kidney removed in order to make sure it wasn't cancer. Another doctor told me to leave it alone and have a MRI every 6 months in order to determine any growth of the tumor.

It has been 7 months since first diagnosis and I just had the 2nd MRI and the tumor has not grown. Still the size of a 'marble'.

Anybody have any suggestions? They will greatly appreciated. I am having a problem with the idea of having only one kidney and I do have a philosophy that when someone succumbs to the knife and if there is cancer, then the cancer seems to enjoy fresh air and starts to spread.