renal lesion

I just found out that I have 5.5 cm x 6.5 cm renal lesion on right side after having MRI for my lower back pain.  I am due to have ultrasound for it and am very nervous about the lesion size.  I have had lower back problem for sometime and have been doing PT for over 4 months.  MRI also showed degenerative spine and herniated discs.

What advice do you have as to how to follow up and what therapy to anticipate.
Anxiously awaiting for your advice

[authrjenn]

Well I would get the renal tumor cut out. I had a decompression laminectomy from l-2 - l-5, S-1. Hurt like hell, but I can walk and it sure beats a wheel chair. I will always be on meds but I am walking and alive. Do what needs to be done. Good Luck!

[el_em_en_oh]

Hello there my friend... so sorry to hear about your kidney issue. Been there & done that, so I feel your pain.

I recently had a left-side renal cyst decortication, laparoscopically, and it was a fairly benign experience. Oh sure, there was a little post-op discomfort, but it was mostly from the gas they pump into me, not from the incisions.

See if you can find out if it's a simple-cyst or a complex-cyst, and ask them where it falls on the Bosniak Table (see below). Please try not to think about this too much, until you know what kind of cyst you have (simple vs. complex).

Good luck to you!

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Bosniak Classification of Renal Cystic Disease
Category I. --- Category I lesions are simple benign cysts showing homogeneity, water content, and a sharp interface with adjacent renal parenchyma, with no wall thickening, calcification, or enhancement.

Category II. --- This category consists of cystic lesions with one or two thin (≤ 1 mm thick) septations or thin, fine calcification in their walls or septa (wall thickening > 1 mm advances the lesion into surgical category III) and hyperdense benign cysts with all the features of category I cysts except for homogeneously high attenuation. A benign category II lesion must be 3 cm or less in diameter, have one quarter of its wall extending outside the kidney so the wall can be assessed, and be nonenhancing after contrast material is administered.

Category IIF --- This category consists of minimally complicated cysts that need follow-up. This is a group not well defined by Bosniak but consists of lesions that do not neatly fall into category II. These lesions have some suspicious features that deserve follow-up up to detect any change in character.

Category III. ---- Category III consists of true indeterminate cystic masses that need surgical evaluation, although many prove to be benign. They may show uniform wall thickening, nodularity, thick or irregular peripheral calcification, or a multilocular nature with multiple enhancing septa. Hyperdense lesions that do not fulfill category II criteria are including in this group.

Category IV. --- These are lesions with a nonuniform or enhancing thick wall, enhancing or large nodules in the wall, or clearly solid components in the cystic lesion. Enhancement was considered present when lesion components increased by at least 10 H.