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Start of Immunotherapy.

kinord2
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How critical is it that immunotherapy commences quickly after kidney removal?  

I had my kidney removed on 20th November 2024. I received thersults of the biopsy on 16th January. This showed that there was a possibility that they may not have removed all of the cancer and the cancer was graded level 3.

I have received a letter from the oncology department stating that I have a meeting with the consultant on March 4th with presumably the treatment to commence some time thereafter. When told that I needed immunotherapy the nurse said that the treatment should commence within 3 months of the operation. This would put treatment start date at the latest 20th February,which is clearly not going to happen on the current schedule.

If it is not critical I will go along with the Oncologist schedule but I am very worried that this might not be soon enough.

Could somebody please let me know if I should push for earlier treatment.

Many Thanks

  • Hello Kinord2 and thank you for posting,

    I was sorry to learn of your situation this must be a difficult time.

    While searching for this information, I did not find any specific guidelines that say what the best timing is to start immunotherapy after a nephrectomy. Some papers do mention that it should be within 3 months one paper I found suggested 3-4 months.

    Immunotherapy is not started until a person has fully recovered from surgery. I am unsure why you are having to wait until March to see the oncologist whether this is because this was the first available appointment or whether the doctors wanted you to have time to recover from the surgery.

    As they know your situation, I don't know if is possible to check with the consultant if waiting until March will affect the benefit of treatment. You could try contacting them through their secretary or your specialist nurse may be able to advise you.

    I am sorry I cannot be more helpful on this occasion but I hope this reply helps in some way. If you would like to speak with one of our nurses, the freephone number to call is 0808 800 4040 and we are available between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

    Jemma

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