Hello

Hello Cclub from Fife Region :-)  
A scan in just over a week?  Wow - I have scan envy and I was on the "urgent suspicion of cancer pathway" too.  
I'm not that far ahead of you.  My scans were Oct, got the Stage 4 KC diagnosis  (spread to lungs) on 24 Nov, followed by biopsy to confirm ccRCC and met my fab Oncology Team at the Western Edinburgh a few days before xmas 2021.  Started immunotherapy (nivolumab/ipilimumab) mid Jan 2022.  Had two doses to date - what a difference.  I have more energy and my appetite has returned.  Still lost a stone in weight though.  

But . . . . .  seven vials of blood?!?!?!  That's a lotta tests.  

Fire away with your burning questions. . . . . .  

Claire xx

Thank you for responding ..my brain is mince ..urology consultant today was fab but think I was expecting definitive answers ..He said lymphoma would be better than kidney cancer and can't give me answers until biopsy he also said biopsy doesn't always give result as the bit taken may be fatty rather than the cancer bit ..he said lymphoma would be treated with chemo ..kidney cancer will be major op ..my GP said from scan it had spread into renal vein consultant said it has spread into main vein that  feeds heart but at mo no spread to other organs ..xx 

I am not on any treatments pain killers etc yet

I asked what stage cancer I had he said tumor stage 4 you have advanced cancer ..he didn't say can't be treated 

Was lymphoma mentioned to you ?

No, I don't know what that is.  I am an avid googler (I need info, data, need to know what's going on) but I never encountered lymphoma.  Ah ok.  Googled it now.    Two different cancers.  

A lot of (most?) stage 4 cancers can be treated.   

Sounds like you're in that intermittent place where more info is needed before informed decisions can be made.    That's the worst.  The waiting for appts.  No mans land.  We hate waiting in this club.  That's where I was in Nov/Dec.  Sympathise.  

Biopsy is a day in an outpatient day unit.  If they are taking the sample from the kidney you have to lie down for 4 hours after to minimise the risk of bleeding.  

Radiologists normally take a few samples, and use a scanner (CT in my case) to mitigate against a sample that is sub-optimal.  They don't want to re-book it/repeat.  

Thank you ..yes the waiting definitely does head in !!  Consultant said lymphoma would be better outcome so we will see x