Kidney cancer and nephrectomy - any of you with experience to share?

[gordonsmom]

Anya is about 9 ish - not sure of age as she is a rescue. She stopped eating and started losing weight. To make a long story short, we just got the diagnosis after an xray, bloodwork and a sonogram that it is kidney cancer. They are not sure if lymphoma, or carcinoma. Dr says if carcinoma, a nephrectomy will take care of it and she will have some years of quality left. Problem is they dont know until opening her up which it is. The doctor seems to think she has a very good chance.

Aside from the money, I want to do all I can for her but tyring to decide if this is the right thing. Have lost other cats to other kinds of cancer and other illnesses so I'm not a novice, however one cat went in for a minor surgery for a lesion on her side, and it ended up being an aggessive tumor. She came out with an 8 inch incision and was so sick that we had to put her to sleep 3 days later, before we even got the biopsy report. I just don't want that to happen again.

I have my husband and family's support either way, but they are saying to go with the surgery. I don't want my previous experiences to color my decision. Anyone have any experience or words of wisdom for me? I kow nothing is guaranteed, but need some outside perspective.

 

[fionasmom]

I am sorry that you are facing this. Since you seem prepared to proceed, I would ask the doctor (maybe you have already done this) in which direction he thinks this may go. Based on his experience, he must have some inclination although his point that nothing is certain until it is removed is valid. He thinks that she has a good chance of.....having kidney cancer or surviving the surgery? Is it possible to do a needle aspirate of this kind of lymphoma before going ahead with surgery (if it were to be lymphoma)?

You could consult a specialist for a second opinion which is not in any way an insult to your current vet.

Contained kidney cancer is very survivable and that applies to humans as well. Personally, I would do the surgery, but I understand your concern that it could have a bad outcome once again.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I did a search on this site and really did not come up with any related posts. You might try subscribing to this forum (see link below - and it's free to join) and see if it would elicit responses from anyone with experiences. There may be a possibility that the moderators know of a more specific forum that you could join.
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