Hi Becky,
Sorry, I missed your post in my last sweep .
Yes you can have chemo with only one kidney.
Many chemo drugs are metabolized and cleared through the kidney. The most famous being platinum drugs.
Cytoxan is actually metabolized by the liver but it is excreted by the kidneys. One rare side effect is hemorrhagic cystitis from the metabolites of cytoxan causing irritation to the bladder lining. This is avoided by staying well hydrated.
If you have one nonfunctional kidney that is getting infected because it is blocked, removing the kidney is an option. In general, we tend to be reluctant to do that if there is any function in the kidney. There is always the risk of losing your other kidney.
best wishes to you
Just to clairify, I was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian cancer (MPSC) in 2005 and recurred October 2006 - I'm still dealing with this recurrence and one of the tumors is obstructing my ureter. My gyne onc referred me to a urological oncoligist surgeon, but I just want to know - is chemo possible with only one kidney?
Thanks in advance,
Becky
Do you have any advice at all? I'm scheduled to visit my gyne onc surgeon this Thursday and I want to know if this is something I should be asking her about or not.
Thanks,
Becky