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Dr. Emily Wang, PharmD, BCOP, is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Genitourinary Medical Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. What motivated you to get involved with the KCA? I had heard about this incredible organization from colleagues at work and having developed a particular interest in RCC over the past few years, I was thrilled at having…

Peggy Zuckerman, a long-time kidney cancer patient, advocate, and member of the KCA's Patient & Caregiver Advisory Council, was the featured cover story for Cancer Today magazine's Summer 2023 issue. She was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2003. Photo by Morgan Shidler. “It was the start of a race, and I did not know it,” remembers Zuckerman, then 54, who…

This is a guest post by Mike Domingo. My name is Mike Domingo and this is my journey.  It started one night in February 2021. I woke up to go to the bathroom and fortunately turned on the light. The bowl was full of blood though I had no pain or any other symptoms. I took a picture of the blood. My doctor…

This is a guest post by Nicole Bass, whose 18-year-old son Cody was diagnosed with ALK-positive rearranged renal cell carcinoma in 2022. Cody’s biggest concern through this whole journey was bowling. He’s on the bowling team for his high school and this year he was inducted into his school’s hall of fame for bowling. The kids are calling him a…

By D’Ann George, PhD, Medical Writer For ten years, Dr. Jose Karam, a urologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, looked forward to receiving Paul Laudadio’s Christmas card. Though many expressions of gratitude decorated his office – letters, drawings, watercolors, and even a purple kidney-shaped stuffie – Laudadio’s card stood out. The multi-fold design featured all 35 members of his former…

Dr. Tian Zhang Clinical trials are a treatment option for people with cancer and are both a powerful tool to understand disease and develop new treatments. While participating in a clinical trial does carry legitimate risks, people can also have misconceptions about the purpose and process of participation. Dr. Tian Zhang, a medical oncologist and kidney cancer expert at UT…

Below are some of the research highlights from the 2023 American Urological Association Annual Meeting held on April 28 - May 1 in Chicago, Illinois.  https://www.kidneycancer.org/stories/ascogu23-zircon/ Successful imaging of very small renal lesions New data from the phase III Zircon trial on small renal mass diagnostic imaging showed the ability to differentiate cancerous lesions from non-cancerous ones in a subgroup of very…

In a changing kidney cancer treatment landscape where immunotherapies and combination therapies have become more common as first-line treatments for patients, a number of presentations at the 2023 American Urological Association Annual Meeting held in April in Chicago, Illinois addressed where cytoreductive nephrectomy, which is surgery to remove kidney tumors in patients with metastases, fits in now and in whom…

This is a guest post by Annamarya Scaccia, a KCA Ambassador. Annamarya was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2020. She is a certified fitness and nutrition coach who helps kidney cancer survivors optimize their performance without sacrificing their health. Header photo courtesy of Carlos J. Gallegos. https://www.kidneycancer.org/stories/the-one-kidney-bodybuilder/ I didn’t know it at the time, but when I was diagnosed with…

Annamarya Scaccia, photo courtesy Carlos J Gallegos. Kate Zalewski, RDN, CSR, LDN is an experienced renal dietitian who owns a virtual private practice primarily helping people with chronic kidney disease delay or avoid dialysis. KCA Ambassador Annamarya Scaccia spoke with her about misconceptions around nutrition and kidney health, eating to build muscle, and how to protect your kidneys while pursuing…