National Kidney Awareness Month
By: Will Case
Updated: March 13, 2013
The average age someone is diagnosed with kidney cancer is 64 ---- it is very uncommon in people younger than 45, but it does happen.
27-year-old Dan Kaus had pain in his back. His girlfriend, fearing it was kidney stone talked him into going to the doctor. He's lucky he went, it probably saved his life.
Dan Kaus's check up is going well, he's cancer free.
On Christmas, a pain in his back woke Dan up. "It was just radiating excruciating pain," he says.
The pain went eventually away, but it came back a week later. Dan went to Aurora Baycare Medical Center, where he had a CT scan.
"Not sure why he had right back pain he was very fortunate he got imaged when he did," Dr. Tim Kennedy, a Urologist at Aurora Baycare says.
"They said we didn't find any kidney stones, but we're going to keep you around we did see something," Dan says.
They found a softball size tumor on the opposite side of where Dan's pain was.
"It's really unusual for a 27-year-old guy to show up with a kidney cancer," Dr. Kennedy says.
The tumor was five times the size of a normal kidney tumor.
"You hear some pretty bad stories about people going through some things cancer and I am 27-years-old, I didn't expect anything like that."
Dr. Kennedy removed the tumor and kidney.
"Literally took out probably 9 pounds that day removing the kidney the fat and the stuff around it."
Dr. Kennedy says the cancer didn't spread, and Dan's prognosis is good.
Dan is 85% of being disease free at 5 years, that's about as good as you get."
Dr. Kennedy says a person can get along fine living with one healthy kidney.
To learn more you can call Aurora BayCare or email healthwatch@aurorabaycare.com
