Mass found on 10-yr-old kidney

My son had two UTIs and further testing has revealed a mass on his kidney. He has had blood work, VCUG, X-rays, Ultrasounds, MRI and CT scan. The mass appears to be growing during the time from X-ray in May 08 to Aug 08. It is in the center of the kidney and the doctor wants to remove the entire kidney. They have told us it is the only way to determine if it is cancerous, she said even if it were benign, it would still require removal due to the rate of growth.

What are the chances this is renal cell carcinoma?

[Stephen Liroff, MD]

Renal cell carcinoma is uncommon in children. However a kidney cancer called "Wilm's tumor" is a distinct possibility. Know that the overall results of treatment of this type of cancer are quite good, but nephrectomy (kidney removal) and chemotherapy will be necessary. I gather that this tumor is not a cyst (i.e., that it is solid). The fact that it is growing rapidly is of great concern. Your physician is correct that the exact diagnosis cannot be established without a piece of tissue to look at under the microscope. If you were to put a needle into it to just do a biopsy, you change  the stage and thus the choice of treatments and run the risk of spreading it if it is malignant. One can live quite successfully with only one kidney (I am assuming that he has two kidneys and that the other appears normal and to be functioning normally).
Given what you have told me above, I would move quickly to remove his kidney.
Good luck!
S.A.Liroff, M.D.

This information is provided for general medical educational purposes only. It
does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Henry Ford  Hospital  or the
Vattikuti Urologic Institute.  Please consult your physician for diagnostic
and treatment options pertaining to your specific medical  condition.

[Yolee777]

Thank you for your prompt response. The information you provided is very helpful and we appreciate you utilizing your medical knowledge in this forum. Take care.