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I always did well in high school and college when it came to grades. I studied hard. I was prepared as best I could be. One of the common themes for kidney cancer patients (maybe all cancer patients) is the anxiety of an upcoming surveillance exam. Generally, about two weeks before the exam date patients tend to get more anxious. More nerves. More questions. More need for reassurance. It's the waiting for a report that you know is coming due. A report card of sorts. Hopefully not a final report card. But your mind goes there. When I first sat (laid down) for my CT scan to verify whether I had kidney stones, my report card came back with an unexpected result. I had to doublecheck the answer. I was sure my test was mixed up with someone else's. I was expecting a zero for anything but a kidney stone sitting somewhere. Turns out I had a grade 3 tumor in one of my kidneys. That's not a good report. Nowhere close to an A. I had a lot of studying to do to fix this. Maybe I could take the test over again. Study harder. Pass with flying colors next time. My doctor said the score was final. No matter how many times I retake the test, the result would be the same. Damn.

I'm not a patient person. I am a patient, but that doesn't mean I'm patient. Waiting for the follow up surveillance exam (in two weeks) is what creates anxiety. Not just for me, but for other patient's in the same boat. It's like floating along with one paddle instead of two. Hard to navigate, hard to steer your mind in the right direction. It's the unknowing. I want to be all-knowing. As my Auntie Terry will attest to, waiting for 5 to 7 days to get the pathology report is nerve wracking and unsettling. That's why I write. To put my thoughts on paper. It helps to talk about it out loud. On a keyboard. That allows you to go back and make corrections. If only I could go back and erase the cancer. If only we mere mortals had the power. The Delete Key doesn't work for that. Pretty worthless key in that regard. I'm part of the KCCure (Kidney Cancer Cure) on-line support group. The group is on a Facebook board. Access is only for confirmed patients with kidney cancer (about 80% of its over 2,700 members worldwide). The other 20% are healthcare providers / professionals who are interested in kidney cancer. The group is very supportive. We all share our status and stories, look for common practices for our particular stage and grade of tumor, and receive a lot of positive feedback and thoughts. We need that. We get that. For kidney cancer patients (renal cell carcinoma - clear cell in particular), even though you have the entire kidney that cancer invaded removed, the cancer can show up somewhere else in the body later. It's still renal cell carcinoma - clear cell even though it shows up somewhere else in your body. The cancer cells traveled elsewhere. The border isn't closed at the kidney. It's wide open. That's where the worry comes from. Will it show up somewhere else?

Illustration by D. Bicker, pixabay.com When I searched the vast internet to learn more about patients with kidney cancer, I found that most patients who are diagnosed with kidney cancer are blindsided by it because kidney cancer rarely has symptoms. That was true in my case. Like many other cases, my cancer was discovered on a CT scan that was looking primarily to see where the kidney stone(s) was located. The secondary concern (a rule-out diagnosis if you will) was to look for anything more sinister. That begs the question...should total body scans or CT scans of the abdomen and pelvis be done more frequently to screen for kidney cancer in populations where kidney cancer is more prevalent? Early detection increases the likelihood of a better prognosis. But what are the downsides of scanning your body looking for something sinister? Do you really want to know what is growing or lurking in your body? It’s kind of like learning how sausage is made. After you do, you kind of wish you hadn’t. One downside is the unnecessary worry that can be created by seeing shadows within that are nothing to be concerned about. Another is the cost. Health insurance companies don't like to cover the cost of medical services that are not based on an indication to justify it. That makes sense to a point. The counterpoint to that argument is that detecting medical issues early can reduce the total healthcare costs in general. It's a preventative approach rather than waiting for a bigger shoe to drop. Another question to be asked is who would / should be tested for kidney cancer? Kidney cancer only makes up about 4 percent of cancer diagnoses in the United States (about 82,000 new cases each year). Worldwide it is even less than 4 percent. Does it make sense to test 100 percent of the population to detect the 4 percent who have kidney cancer? It doesn't seem cost effective. Unless you are the one with cancer growing in your kidney. The American Cancer Society tells us that most people diagnosed with kidney cancer are between ages 65 and 74. That is when patients are diagnosed with cancer. How long had the cancer been present before diagnosis? Kidney cancer usually doesn’t present with symptoms. That's when a CT scan (or MRI) needs to be done - years before the cancer is detected. For the population that is at higher risk. I was age 61 when the mass was detected, and it had been there between 5 and 14 years. Would a CT scan have picked up the mass when I was age 47 to 50? I’d like to think so. Kidney cancer is very uncommon in people younger than age 45. So, scanning for kidney cancer before age 45 would seem unnecessary. Maybe starting at age 45? Kidney cancer is about twice as common in men than in women and it is more common in African Americans, American Indians, and Alaska Natives. The only category I fit of these is being male. If you are a smoker, diabetic, or like to drink more than most, you are at higher risk of getting kidney cancer. None of these fit my case. Yet, I got renal cell carcinoma-clear cell. I wouldn't be on anyone's radar as a likely candidate for a positive diagnosis. I wouldn't fit the criteria for having a body scan to search for this nemesis. Truth be told, I’m not sure I would have signed up for one had it been offered to me anyway. But other people likely would. Like many kidney cancer patients, I had no symptoms. Had it not been for a kidney stone that was setting off alarm bells, I would not have had a clue there was cancer within. It's too bad our bodies are not transparent. It would make it so much easier to see what is going on. Probably best we don't have that close a view. As the saying goes, beauty is only skin-deep. Perhaps that fits here.

Kidney Cancer - Honors The Laurel Wreath represents victory over cancer and honors those who have been diagnosed or have passed away from kidney cancer. Individuals listed on this page are recognized and lifted up as a member of the kidney cancer community. Mike Peterson An avid naturalist and outdoorsman, Mike quietly lived life. Soon after retiring, things he enjoyed most created fatigue. A stubborn man, his son finally convinced him to go to the Emergency Department to be evaluated. The doctors discovered a mass in his kidney, liver, and lungs. Stage 4 renal cell carcinoma. Mike passed away quietly on July 1, 2025. The same way he lived. God Bless his memory. Sid Sadler A husband and father, Sid Sadler was diagnosed with kidney cancer in December 2023. Sid was just 32 years of age at the time of the unexpected news that a 10.5 cm mass was growing in his kidney. Since a complete nephrectomy of his left kidney, Sid has been running full speed ahead. Sid set out to learn everything he could about renal cell carcinoma and how he can be a supportive voice for others walking a similar journey. Read More Read More 1 Page 1 Share Your Story Share your kidney cancer story with us. Submit your name, a brief story, and a photo. Name Email Kidney Cancer Story Upload Photo (Max 15MB) Submit

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Back Sid Sadler Being diagnosed with kidney cancer at 32 years of age wasn't in my "plan," if we want to call it a plan. I'm 34 now, and approaching another round of scans to ensure the cancer removed from my body is gone. December of 2023, I had an episode of hematuria in my urine, and that led to a CT which revealed a 10.5 cm tumor on my left kidney. A slew of appointments made with Vanderbilt led to a plan of a radical nephrectomy removing my tumor and left kidney. February of 2024 the surgery took place. Surprisingly, I recovered well. I had my surgery on a Monday, and I was home that Wednesday afternoon. Eagerly awaiting my pathology results, while also browsing the internet for others in my situation. I didn't find many, but I found a few, and I leaned on those few very hard. With no other evidence of disease, I hoped for a diagnosis of stage two or three, knowing other factors such as grade and type played a big factor in my outlook. The results come back. Stage 2b, grade two Clear Cell Renal Carcinoma. After meeting with my team, a scan schedule was put into place. Hesitant and nervous at first, I learn the rhythm we all learn after cancer enters our lives. Soon thereafter, my wife and I find out she is expecting a baby, and our world goes from one end of the spectrum to another end of emotions. We welcome a beautiful healthy baby girl into the world just short of one year after my surgery. Life is crazy, isn't it? I started as a scared patient, and I still am. However, I'm also equipped with knowledge now, and most importantly perspective. I dove into advocacy, joining the patient family advisory councils at Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, and The Kidney Cancer Association. I was recently invited to join the Board of Directors for The Judy Nicholson Kidney Cancer Foundation. If I could say one thing to you, it's that cancer isn't a period for a lot of us. It's a comma. Once a plan is set in place, things will get better. We have come a long way in treatment for both localized and stage four kidney cancer. I'm confident in my team and the other countless doctors researching this disease. Onward.