Cathy Irvin

Cathy was diagnosed with metastatic kidney cancer and a tumor thrombus. She’s been on systemic therapy as well as having a radical nephrectomy and IVC thrombectomy. These are some of her most vivid memories.

“I remember returning from The Van Gogh Immersion exhibit in Cleveland, sitting on the side of the bed and coughing up blood clots from my lungs. Later after CXR they accidentally found the tip of the kidney tumor in the scan. My PCP said it was unknown if it was malignant and she referred me to other specialists. After many tests and scans I finally settled in with Cleveland Clinic. They had found a tumor that covered the entire right side of my abdomen and it was positive for renal cell carcinoma, at the time noted to be inoperable. I was then started on a daily course of axitinib a chemo drug, taken orally, along with every-three week infusions of pembrolizumab. In less than 2 weeks I was so physically ill I thought I was going to die. I was in and out of ERs almost every other day. Finally I announced I could not take any more and decided to withdraw all care. My sister took me home and let me rest for a week or so and then I went to see Dr. Masci, a Hemotology Oncologist in Wooster, OH. We started with a blank slate with just the every-three-week infusions of pembrolizumab and nothing else. After a while the tumor started shrinking and continued to do so until around August 2023. The tumor began to grow again. I then ask the question of if it could be removed. Finally I was referred to Dr. Christopher Weight after a few denials and he was willing to remove the tumor. The rest will be history. “