My father was diagnosed with kidney cancer in September 2017. He had a radical nephrectomy, removing his left kidney. His six-month check up scans showed that cancer had spread to his lungs and brain. My father died a little over a year after his diagnosis and just a few months before I was diagnosed with the same disease.
I was diagnosed with kidney cancer in October 2018. That same month I had a right radical nephrectomy. My urologist said my cancer mass was about ten pounds. He said it was the largest mass he had seen in over ten years. Knowing what my father’s experience was I decided to get in to see an oncologist shortly after my surgery.
Three months after my surgery, a CT scan showed that the cancer had spread to my lungs, abdomen, ribs, and adrenal gland. I started taking Sutent in January 2019 until it stopped working in August 2019.
The radiologist said my abdomen had more masses than he could count. That same month I started immunotherapy with Opdivo and Yervoy. After my third infusion I ended up with colitis from the immunotherapy.
I was unable to get treatment for about two months, but my CT scan showed my masses had been reduced dramatically. Before they started me back on immunotherapy they put me on Entyvio (vedolizumab) to treat the colitis. This treatment worked very well. I still have the normal side effects of fatigue, nausea, some stomach pain, and very dry itchy skin, but the colitis hasn’t returned.
After two more rounds of infusions I had another CT scan and the cancer was gone. No signs of it anywhere!
When my oncologist read the findings at our visit, I immediately asked how that was possible, as she once told me that I was only treatable and there is no cure for renal cell carcinoma. She said immunotherapy is changing people’s outcomes.
Robert Ramos is a stage 4 kidney cancer patient in Anchorage, Alaska. We are grateful for his voice.
