Kidney Cancer

[desfam]

Hello,
I had a routine Ultrasound to check for stones, and the doctor discovered a solid mass on a kidney approx 3" x 3" What test tells the doctor if the mass is benign or malignant. I want to be sure i don't sacrifice a kidney for no reason at all, or simply choose a doctor who wants to err on the side of caution. I have no symptoms except small bladder stones in urine.

[gborin]

First lets hope you meant 3cm x 3 cm, not 3" by 3". You should probably get a CT and a second opinion. If the doctors come back with an opinion that the mass has an 80 or 90 percent chance of Kidney Cancer than you have to face up to the fact that you probably have Kidney Cancer and surgery is the standard where the Cancer has not spread. If the Kidney is removed before Cancer spreads you have over a 90 percent survival rate. My surgery will be 7 years on August 1 and I have no residual problems or treatments, although I do have a precautionary CT scan each year. Unfortunately the definitive test as to whether the mass is malignent is done by an biopsy after the Kidney is removed.
Last but not least, if the Doctor believes that it is malignant, surgery beats the alternative.

[adminjedi]

[quote="gborin"]First lets hope you meant 3cm x 3 cm, not 3" by 3". You should probably get a CT and a second opinion. If the doctors come back with an opinion that the mass has an 80 or 90 percent chance of Kidney Cancer than you have to face up to the fact that you probably have Kidney Cancer and surgery is the standard where the Cancer has not spread. If the Kidney is removed before Cancer spreads you have over a 90 percent survival rate. My surgery will be 7 years on August 1 and I have no residual problems or treatments, although I do have a precautionary CT scan each year. Unfortunately the definitive test as to whether the mass is malignent is done by an biopsy after the Kidney is removed.
Last but not least, if the Doctor believes that it is malignant, surgery beats the alternative.[/quote]

I was diagnosed with a kidney tumor IIF in March of 2006. I had a 6 month followup mri, then once a year followup mri, most recently yesterday. I am curious that you had CT and not an mri.

My main concern is that I have been suffering from extreme fatigue for about 2 years now. Another doctor did saliva and blood tests and discovered that I have extreme adrenal fatigue.
I wonder since the adrenals are so near the kidney if this is a symptom that the tumor is cancerous? If the radiologist determines that the tumor is still IIF or if there has not been a significant change so they call it benign, do I trust the diagnosis considering the fatigue?

[gborin]

My comment was meant for someone who has been told they may have kidney cancer in which case I shared my opinion from one who has been through this. I have no opinion on your diagnosis and I suggest you inquire with your doctor further.