Decreased Kidney function from chemo - 1255200

eastcoastjill1
Posts:2

Hi I am new to this forum and hope to find some answers here.

Help, is there hope my kidneys will recover?

I have decreased kidney function indicated by rising creatinine levels. It has been over 5 weeks since my last chemo (Alimta/avastin) and level has continued to increase. Does anyone have experience with this? I also have protein in the urine now. Creatinine levels were just below normal and there was trace protein in my urine when the last infusion was given. The creatinine levels were steadily increasing over the 7 months of treatment starting at .7 and now at 1.9.

Help in understanding where this is going is appreciated.

Thanks

Jill

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Reply # - March 27, 2013, 05:41 AM

JimC
Posts: 2753

Hi Jill,

It is possible for the kidney function to improve after withholding treatment. It might be good to ask your doctor about your "creatinine clearance" and perhaps to refer you to a nephrologist. You can read about this here: http://cancergrace.org/topic/max-creatinine-level-for-continued-chemo (including the link provided by Janine in her post).

JimC
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Reply # - March 27, 2013, 06:05 AM

eastcoastjill1
Posts: 2

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the reply. I have seen a nephrologist and had ultrasound of the kidney. We are in a wait and see mode. Looking for info if others have been down this road. Trying to manage the stress of it all on top of the lung cancer and understand realistic expectations.

Thanks again,
Jill

Reply # - March 27, 2013, 08:53 PM

Dr West
Posts: 4735

I have had a patient or two who have had their creatinine creep up to about 1.5-1.6 on a combination of chemo and Avastin (bevacizumab), which let me to modify their treatment plans. I've seen gradual improvement over months in these cases, so I hope that's the case for you as well. I was also very happy to have a nephrologist involved to ensure we were doing all of the right things to protect kidney function and give the best chance for improvement.

Good luck.

-Dr. West

Reply # - March 29, 2013, 01:34 PM

dr. weiss
Posts: 206

I've had similar experiences. At a creatinine of 1.9, most patients will not experience symptoms from kidney problems. The job of the kidneys is to keep electrolytes in line, to manage fluid balance and to create epo, a signal to the bone marrow to make red blood cells. These functions will often be completely intact at a creatinine of 1.9 If so, the important thing is to keep it that way. The job of the nephrologist isn't necessarily to do anything active now if this is case, but rather to help you keep at that way. She will review your meds to make sure that none are toxic to the kidneys, and advise you on meds to avoid. When and if needed, she can help deal with any abnormalities that result from impaired kidney function.

While some cancer drugs are to be avoided in patients with kidney problems, rest assured that there are drugs that are not cleared by the kidneys and that are not toxic to the kindeys.

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