If you have been diagnosed with kidney cancer, you need a second opinion. We will ensure you get it without delay.
A second opinion can be helpful and reassuring, and it’s the best way to ensure that your diagnosis is accurate, that the recommended treatment plan is right for you, and that the urologist (surgeon) and other specialists have the training and experience to provide you the best possible outcome.
We can arrange for Roswell Park’s kidney cancer experts, including our pathologists who specialize in urinary tract cancers, to review your tests and slides, and set up a consultation with our kidney cancer team.
Why it matters for kidney cancer
A precise and accurate diagnosis, staging, and treatment plan by a multidisciplinary team of experts who focus on kidney cancer every day, is essential to:
- Preserve your kidney. Since most people have two kidneys and can live with just one, many urologists remove a patient’s entire kidney rather than just the portion with the tumor. Removing just a portion of the kidney - an operation called a partial nephrectomy - is better for the patient because it helps preserve kidney function for years to come, but is a more complex and difficult operation, requiring a higher level of expertise from the surgeon. Roswell Park urologists are leaders in performing this kidney-sparing surgery.
- Consider active surveillance. A patient with low-risk kidney tumor may face a greater risk from the cancer treatment and its side effects than from the tumor. A kidney tumor is not life-threatening unless it develops the ability to spread beyond the kidney, which is closely related to the tumor’s size. Many small, low-risk tumors will never grow large enough to do this. In these cases, the treatment (for example, surgery) can be more life-threatening than the tumor itself.
- Avoid unnecessary surgery for a benign tumor. While most kidney tumors are cancers, many of them are benign tumors that can never become cancerous. It is usually not possible to tell whether a kidney tumor is cancerous or benign based on the radiologic imaging alone. Although a biopsy can be helpful for this, kidney tumors are unique in that even a biopsy cannot always determine conclusively whether the tumor is malignant (cancer) or benign (not cancer).
Roswell Park physicians have developed a new approach to determine whether a tumor is cancerous or benign, sparing patients with benign tumors from unnecessary surgery.
Learn moreYes, you have time for a second opinion
We understand the urgency of a cancer diagnosis and your desire to move quickly. However, very few diagnoses require that treatment or surgery occur immediately. The fastest treatment is not always the best treatment, and you owe it to yourself to take time now to ensure your treatment plan is the right one for you. We can help.
To arrange for a second opinion, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or fill out the online form below. We’ll take care of the rest.