Yes. Ask if the surgery was considered a "radical nephrectomy". If so, did they also remove his adrenal gland like they are supposed to in this procedure? I lost one kidney to cancer four years ago and they did not remove my adrenal gland though they billed my insurance company for a radical nephrectomy. Now I have kidney cancer in my lungs and both adrenal glands (I should only have one adrenal gland left!!!!!) and it is considered inoperable and terminal. Please be sure that he receives proper follow-up care, to include a new CT-scan every three months to be certain there is no new cancer. They told me they had removed the cancer by removing the kidney with the cancer "incapsulated" within the kidney, that I only had a 10% chance of ever having any form of cancer in my body again in my lifetime, and that no chemo or radiation was necessary as follow-up. Now, four years later, I am dying of kidney cancer and they send my case to a second opinion board who conclude that the pathologist at that time "mis-judged the Fuhrman rating of my cancer" and it should have been followed up with chemo and radiation. Be sure he gets proper follow-up care and if anything doesn't seem right, speak up as soon as possible. It's too late for me, but it didn't have to be, if only we had known to seek a second opinion when the oncologist declared that no follow-up was needed. Good luck to your nephew and may God bless.
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Yes. Ask if the surgery was considered a "radical nephrectomy". If so, did they also remove his adrenal gland like they are supposed to in this procedure? I lost one kidney to cancer four years ago and they did not remove my adrenal gland though they billed my insurance company for a radical nephrectomy. Now I have kidney cancer in my lungs and both adrenal glands (I should only have one adrenal gland left!!!!!) and it is considered inoperable and terminal. Please be sure that he receives proper follow-up care, to include a new CT-scan every three months to be certain there is no new cancer. They told me they had removed the cancer by removing the kidney with the cancer "incapsulated" within the kidney, that I only had a 10% chance of ever having any form of cancer in my body again in my lifetime, and that no chemo or radiation was necessary as follow-up. Now, four years later, I am dying of kidney cancer and they send my case to a second opinion board who conclude that the pathologist at that time "mis-judged the Fuhrman rating of my cancer" and it should have been followed up with chemo and radiation. Be sure he gets proper follow-up care and if anything doesn't seem right, speak up as soon as possible. It's too late for me, but it didn't have to be, if only we had known to seek a second opinion when the oncologist declared that no follow-up was needed. Good luck to your nephew and may God bless.
December 2, 2009 - 8:16pmThis Comment
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