Connect
Cabozantinib Response: Initial Shrinkage, Now Stable – Is This Normal?
My mom has been undergoing treatment for kidney cancer since December 2024 with Cabozantinib 40mg. After completing two bottles, a CT scan in March showed that several nodules had shrunk or even disappeared — a clear sign the medication was working.
She continued on another two bottles of Cabozantinib 40mg, and we repeated the CT scan this July (4 months later). This time, the results showed that the nodules remained stable, with no further shrinkage. One nodule even increased slightly by about 2mm.
Has anyone else experienced something similar? Is it normal for nodules to remain stable or slightly increase during treatment, even if there was a good response early on?
Also, does anyone know of the best kidney cancer specialists in the U.S.?
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Kidney Cancer Support Group.
Connect
@rivhanwinardi It's not unusual for some patients to have good first response to a medication, as our body gets introduced to it. And then as the next round comes along, our body might try to mount a defense, and show less response. Has her medical team considered changing up the dosage or treatment?
You ask about kidney cancer specialists in the U.S.
Mayo Clinic - https://mayocl.in/1mtmR63
UCLA Health [Los Angeles, CA]
MD Anderson Cancer Center [Houston, TX]
Memorial Sloan Kettering [New York, NY]
This gives you a wide geographic area to choose from. Would you consider contacting one of these centers?
Ginger
Last time, my doctor suggested adding immunotherapy with Nivolumab. However, since all the nodules are still small—under 1 cm—my doctor prefers to wait and monitor them with the next follow-up CT scan before making any changes. So for now, She will continue with Cabozantinib 40 mg as her current treatment.
I previously reached out to Mayo Clinic, but they advised me to continue treatment with our current doctor in Singapore. Do you happen to have a way or a channel to connect with Mayo Clinic? I would like to seek a second opinion from the oncologists who is expert in metastasis kidney cancer stage 4.
@rivhanwinardi, as an international patient, the best way to seek a second opinion from Mayo Clinic is to start by submitting a request here: http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63
It sounds like you may have already been in contact with Mayo Clinic. If you have an active account on the patient portal, you may be able to submit your question there.