KIDNEY CANCER: FOLLOW UP CARE AFTER SURGERY

WHAT IS KIDNEY CANCER?

Kidney cancer -- also called renal cancer -- is a disease in which kidney cells become malignant (cancerous) and grow out of control, forming a tumour. Almost all kidney cancers first appear in the lining of tiny tubes (tubules) in the kidney. This type of kidney cancer is called renal cell carcinoma.

For some people with kidney cancer, treatment can remove or destroy the cancer. Completing treatment can be both stressful and exciting. You may be relieved to finish treatment, but find it hard not to worry about cancer coming back. (When cancer comes back after treatment, it is called recurrence.) This is a very common concern in people who have had cancer. For other people, the cancer may never go away completely. Some people may get regular treatments with targeted therapy or other therapies to try to help keep the cancer in check. Learning to live with cancer that does not go away can be difficult and very stressful. It has its own type of uncertainty.

WHAT IS THE FOLLOW-UP CARE?

After your surgery for kidney cancer, your doctors will still want to watch you closely. After surgery, there will be regular appointments. During these visits, your doctors will ask questions about any symptoms and may do exams and lab tests or imaging tests (such as CT scans) to look for signs of cancer or treatment side effects. For people, whose kidney cancer has been removed by surgery, doctor visits are usually recommended about every 6 months for the first 2 years after treatment, then yearly for the next several years. A CT scan is usually recommended about 3 to 6 months after surgery and may be repeated later if there’s reason to suspect the cancer might have returned. Each type of treatment for kidney cancer has side effects that can last for a few months. You may be able to help your recovery by being aware of the side effects before you start treatment. You might be able to take steps to reduce them and shorten the length of time they last.

You may need to see a new doctor after your surgery and these are the points that you may have to keep in handy when visiting anew doctor:

• A copy of your pathology report(s) from any biopsies or surgeries
• If you had surgery, a copy of your operative report
• If you had radiation, a copy of your treatment summary
• If you stayed in the hospital, a copy of the discharge summary that your doctor prepared when you were sent home
• If you had targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or chemotherapy, a list of the drugs, drug doses, and when you took them
• Copies of your CTs, MRIs, or other imaging tests (these can often be stored digitally on a DVD, etc.)

KIMS is one of the best kidney cancer treatment hospitals in Hyderabad. Dr. S. Sahariah, our kidney transplant surgeon in Hyderabad, is an expert at kidney cancer treatment as well as kidney transplant.