Thank You! I lost one of my kidneys at 63 years old due to a very small non-malignant tumor called an oncocytoma. Everything I read said they are slow growing and never spread, the surgeon stated the same thing. It grew only slightly after waiting a year. He decided we needed to get it out anyway through surgery. However, after surgery, he told me that due to seeing more cells in the margins around the tumor, he decided to act aggressively and removed my entire kidney.?? So they do spread!! I was in surgery 6 hours and doctor came out and told my waiting family she has renal cell carcinoma as I m sure you know a deadly form of kidney cancer. The next day he came into my room smiling and said guess what.....it was a non-malignant tumor. Why was it spreading after he had even said they never spread, but can grow larger but are slow growing. I m mad as hell, because of late, I m reading that it is possible to find out if a kidney mass is malignant by pinching a small piece of it off by going through the skin with a long probe to reach kidney to remove a piece of mass, before invasive surgery. The tumor was very small, we waited one year and it grew only slightly. It has ruined my life. I m always worried my single kidney will fail. I know that there are many people living with only one kidney, but it has ruined my life. Doctor admitted when I asked, could I get another oncocytoma in my single kidney left. He said it is more likely now since you had one in left kidney. I cannot happily go on living because of constant worry about what I eat, drink, preservatives in some foods, vitamins, prescriptions I must take. I absolutely will not go on dialysis if this happens. I just turned 70 and no one will donate a kidney to me due to age. In retrospect, I should have sued the hell out of the doctor for how he handled my case. There was a pathologist in the surgery room who apparently looked under the scope and told the doctor he believed it was renal cell, so told doctor to proceed aggressively. He told me later that by the time he cleared the margins, that there was not enough of my kidney left, so he removed the entire kidney. I m depressed all the time, can t sleep well anymore and truthfully ready to meet my maker. I ve seen therapists of all sorts, been on medications to ease my anxiety, but to no avail. Now I m in chronic pain all over my body and taking oxycodone which I m sure will take out my only kidney, (prescribing doctor) didn t mention how it is metabolized, and I didn t ask. I m at a point that I don t care anymore and have become a complete recluse in my small house. I don t really don t know what I am asking of you. I guess to validate that you would feel the same way or something along that line. Don t wish to submit reports at this time, but will if you need them. Respectfully, Leslie, Independence, Missouri