Four months ago, my wife was diagnosed with kidney cancer by her doctors.

She had a tumor on her kidney and the cancer had spread to other organs, including the liver and lungs. We were told there might be drugs to prolong life a short while, but her condition was terminal and she needed to make sure her will and other personal affairs were in order. When asked about a referral for a second opinion, the doctor said there was no one to recommend who could change the inevitable outcome.

The next morning we placed a call to Mayo Clinic in Rochester. A kidney cancer specialist agreed to see us as soon as we could make the drive. After reviewing the test results, he agreed with the diagnosis but thought there was a treatment option.

A few weeks later, a team of surgeons removed the tumor, kidney, lymph nodes, a spot on the liver, and the tumor growth in the vena cava. Surgery on the lungs was ruled out because there were too many spots. She was then started on a regimen of Sutent. This is a new kidney cancer drug designed to stop the further spread of the cancer.

My wife just completed tests at Mayo to see if the treatment plan was working. Not only has the cancer not spread any further, the spots on the lung have decreased in size and many have even disappeared. While she has only completed one drug cycle, the Mayo doctors are very optimistic about the long term prognosis.

Make sure you get that second opinion.