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Kidney cancer scan

Gill ABD
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I have kidney cancer which has spread to my liver and have been taking Cabozantinib since Mid July 2021.

I have had 2 scans with some slight reduction in my kidney and liver and had my 3rd scan in the middle of this month.

I spoke to my oncologist yesterday regarding the scan and she said that there was no change to my liver and kidney but I have a 2cm area near my pancreas which the radiologist said was solitary and was the same texture as the pancreas. This could have been hiding on my last scan. He was unsure if it is cancerous.

My next scan is being arranged for 8 weeks time instead of 3 month’s time.

Feel like I need more information.are there any more questions I could ask?

many thanks 

gill

  • Hi Gill,

    My name is Donna and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line. Thanks for getting in touch with the Online Community.  Top of Form

    It sounds like the conversation with your Oncologist yesterday has left you with more questions than answers.

    Cabozantinib is one type of targeted therapy used to control advanced kidney cancer. Its aim is to stop or slow the growth of cancer cells.  This may be for months or even years. It is important for your treatment team to monitor its effectiveness. For this reason, you would expect to have regular scans.  If they feel that your initial treatment has stopped working or is less effective than hoped, your Oncologist may recommend another treatment.  This would be known as second-line treatment.

    Trying to make sense of all this uncertainty can be a difficult and confusing time. We would always encourage you to get back in touch with your Oncologist or specialist nurse for more information to help you understand your situation. It may help you understand the scan results better if you knew how they plan to clarify what exactly the area near the pancreas is. Bringing the scan forward from 12 weeks to 8 weeks sounds like they are erring on the side of caution. You may also wish to ask if there would be a change to the current treatment plan if they establish that it is infact cancerous. 

    I see that you have already joined our Kidney Cancer Online forum. Often talking to others going through a similar experience can be helpful to do. 


    If we can help with anything else don’t hesitate to get back in touch.

    Take care.

    Donna
    Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

    You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. 

    Ref: DW/AR

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