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Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma (clear cell) spread to lung
Hello everyone and grateful to find this support group! Knowledge is power for sure. My 65 year old brother was recently dx with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma (clear cell) that has spread to lung. He has had several ct scans, a lung biopsy (the kidney tumor was found incidentally while scanning his lung after a recent bout with pneumonia) and last week, a Pet Scan. His symptoms are minimal...slight shortness of breath. He does not have an appointment with his oncologist for 19 more days and I am trying to understand his Pet Scan. I volunteered to be the "researcher" for him. If anyone has any experience/knowledge about these results, I would appreciate any info/advice. Thanks in advance!
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@socmoe Welcome To Mayo Clinic Connect! I see you have been a member here for more than 2 years, and this is your first post. That is really awesome to be the researcher for your brother. No doubt he is going through so much now, and helping him out by taking one big chore off his plate will be much appreciated by him!
As you do your research, be careful to look at reputable sites, and don't go down that rabbit hole of Dr. Google!
Here are a few places I just found:
From WebMD: https://www.webmd.com/cancer/metastatic-renal-cell-carcinoma
From Medical News Today: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-does-metastatic-renal-cell-carcinoma-spread#how-it-spreads
Please remember, we are not medical experts here, nor can we diagnose medical conditions. This is best left to your brother's doctors, to interpret the results as they apply to him as the patient. There are many factors those experts will be looking at, not just PET scan results. If possible, ask your brother to be placed on a waitlist, to be called in sooner than the 19 days, if there is a cancellation. I am sure he would like to understand the result as quickly as he can get them!
Ginger
Thank you, Ginger. He is on a waitlist. I am not usually a fan of webmd but do research using PubMed studies articles, Cleveland Clinic, Harvard Med and of course, Mayo Clinic articles when it comes to health concerns. I was just wondering if any patients had any similar findings on their Pet Scan. I realize more goes into a diagnosis than just one test.
@socmoe, I add my welcome. I'm tagging fellow members @azkidney57 @doublecancer and @lbrockme who have experience with clear cell renal carcinoma. In fact, see @doublecancer's related discussion here:
- Renal small cell carcinoma has spread to the lungs
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/lung-cancer-7/
It seems like the PET scan may be inconclusive as to whether the lung issue is metastasis or a new cancer. But I'm not a doctor or pathologist. And as you rightly noted, the scan is only one piece of the puzzle. Has your doctor been scheduled for further testing?
Wonderful support for your brother. It is such an unsettling time in the midst of waiting for appointments and results.
I agree with Collen that writing for the doctors conversation is best
Just remember that a Pet scan is only really showing heightened and increased cell activity that can point to cancer. It can not identify specifics or cell types etc. All the other testing has to move forward for that. It really just points in the direction of areas to look close at.
Hoping you have that appointment soon!