[Guest]

I asked a question on Aug. 6 re my mother's kidney cancer. I have since found out the type of tumor she had: Angiomyolipoma. I have read that these are usually benign. Would they have taken her kidney if it had not been cancerous? Or can they be cancerous in rare cases? It also appears that these tumors are found in females more often than males. I plan to talk to her surgeon about this but wanted to know what you thought.

[Guest]

Angiomyolipomas are always benign but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be removed. They are relatively rare, involve women more than men, and usually are found in the right kidney for some reason. Most of the time they're small but they can get big. It is not always easy to tell the difference without removing them. If the tumors are large, there is a reasonable risk of significant bleeding at some point. Small ones, if they can be reliably diagnosed, can often just be followed and observed. Removal is justified if the diagnosis is in doubt or if the tumor appears larger much larger than 4-6 cm in diameter. Its usually better to remove a suspicious mass than let a cancerous tumor stay in. Solid renal masses are much more likely to be cancers or malignant than one of the few benign renal tumors like angiomyolipoma. You should be happy that you now know for sure that it was not a malignancy!
[quote] I asked a question on Aug. 6 re my mother's kidney cancer... [/quote]