Cancer affects every aspect of your life; it takes over your family time, work days, and even affects other health needs, like an organ transplant. If you need a new kidney, the unfortunate news is that you have to wait to get it until after receiving treatment for cancer.
Fighting off cancer is the first step in a successful kidney transplant for many reasons. You should be in the best health possible before the transplant to ensure your body can accept the new organ with few complications or side effects.
When discussing cancer or your kidney transplant, the Metro Renal Associates team is here to listen. Our three experienced, board-certified nephrologists provide kidney care in the form of transplants, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and dialysis.
When working correctly, the kidneys are vital organs that filter out waste from the blood. However, conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure tax the kidneys over time, causing renal failure and chronic kidney disease.
When the kidneys no longer work properly, there are only two options for treatment – dialysis or a kidney transplant. Not everyone who is in end-stage renal failure or who has chronic kidney disease is a candidate for a transplant.
We usually begin dialysis first while we determine if you're a good candidate for a transplant. It also takes time to find a donor's kidney and to prepare yourself and your body for a new organ.
You may be a good candidate if you need a kidney transplant and another organ transplant, you have diabetes and have chronic kidney disease, or you're in end-stage renal failure on dialysis.
Many people aren't candidates for a kidney transplant, especially those who have cancer or who are actively going through cancer treatments. Chronically ill or frail patients and those with severe heart and lung problems may also not qualify for a transplant.
Having chronic kidney disease or renal failure is bad enough, but pair that with cancer, and you have a real problem. When you schedule a kidney transplant, you want to stay healthy to prevent delays, which is precisely what cancer and the treatments do.
Unfortunately, cancer treatment and active cancer do delay your kidney implant for many reasons. You need to be as healthy as possible before your transplant, but cancer treatments often reduce your immunity and don't always make you feel very good.
There are various reasons we delay your transplant when you have active cancer or are receiving cancer treatments, and they include:
Although it's heartbreaking, it's best to wait until you're in remission to receive a kidney transplant after cancer treatments. Your body needs time to recover, and your immunity should improve significantly before considering transplant surgery.
Having cancer and receiving treatment doesn't mean you can't ever have your kidney transplant – but you may have to wait a while. Every patient differs in the wait time after cancer treatment to get their new kidney finally.
We determine the amount of time you need to wait based on your overall health, the type of cancer you have, and how essential the transplant is to your health and well-being. However, you should finish with cancer treatments and be healthy before undergoing a kidney transplant.
The type of cancer you have is the primary determinant of when you can have your transplant after treatment. For instance, people with a solid organ malignancy may need to wait as little as two years or as much as five years after cancer treatment.
It's best to keep open communication with our team about your progression through cancer treatments, so we know how you're doing. Regular checkups and keeping yourself as healthy as possible not only allow you to fight cancer but could move up your transplant date in the future.
Call Metro Renal Associates in Washington, D.C., and Capitol Heights, Maryland, today to schedule an appointment to discuss a kidney transplant, or use our convenient online booking tool to request a consultation with one of our providers.
