Updated 3 July 2007
Post Nephrectomy
Although asymptomatic recurrence is usually incurable, a small chance does exist that a solitary metastasis could be treated definitively. Follow up is through the urologist and/or the family doctor and it is important for the patient to be clear who is responsible.
- Years 1 + 2 = q 6 months
- Year 3+ = annually
(Chest X-ray should be performed at each visit and ultrasound of contralateral kidney is recommended on alternate years for early detection of a second primary).
Following the completion of treatment, all patients need to be monitored for potential recurrence of cancer and complications of therapy. This is needed both for management of the individual patient (where early detection would improve outcome), and to permit periodic review and improvement of current treatment policy.
Often it is felt appropriate to share follow up with the family doctor (and/or the urologist), in which case it is important for the patient to be clear who is responsible for certain aspects of the disease, e.g. symptom control by the family doctor, with advice from the BC Cancer Agency at the doctor's request.
Notification is requested in the event of any of the following:
- Local recurrence at the primary site (particularly in patients with clinically localized disease treated with surgery and/or radiotherapy)
- Metastasis at regional or distant sites
- Complications of therapy especially if acute requiring hospitalization, or chronic and symptomatic
- Death with primary cause and whether cancer or treatment contributed
The event, date, and evidence where appropriate should be sent to the Agency chart where it will come to the attention of the oncologist, and will be available for periodic review by the tumour group. This information is requested annually for patients no longer followed at the BC Cancer Agency.
