Facing Renal Cancer Head On

Joe was diagnosed with renal cancer more than seven years ago. His treatment included the surgical removal of the kidney. After a major relocation, Joe’s follow-up care lapsed. One day, he was dealing with shoulder pain he couldn’t ignore. An Emergency Room visit uncovered that his cancer had spread to his collarbone and a rib. Faced with this health scare, Joe and his wife called on his employer-provided AccessHope benefit. Through AccessHope, Joe was able to receive Expert Evaluation at a Center of Excellence–in this case, City of Hope.

Joe and his wife met with the experts at the City of Hope campus, and they provided treatment options including surgery, targeted therapy and immunotherapy. They also supplied comprehensive recommendations pertaining to genomic testing, hydration, nutrition, pain management, activity and lifestyle changes. Joe decided on surgery, and a pre-op workup was coordinated and completed by his local oncologist and City of Hope.

Joe and his wife found peace of mind in the City of Hope evaluations and discussions of his range of treatment options. He ultimately decided on surgery at City of Hope where two surgeons were able to perform a single operation. This aggressive treatment with the intent of a cure has helped Joe and his family deal with this unexpected problem as quickly and safely as possible.