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Liposuction and Kidney Cancer
I would like to have liposuction on my tummy and maybe upper thighs. I am 62 yr old female with kidney cancer and do chemo every week. Can I have this done and what is the BEST procedure?
Asked 31 months ago by
cleelumite in Issaquah, WA
+1
Absolutely no to Liposuction on kidney cancer patient
As others have noted, chemotherapy affects your immune system so you are much more suseptible to infections, etc. Also, chemotherapy is filtered throught the liver as well as the anesthetic for the liposuction. Your liver would be overloaded and wouldn't handle the breakdown of these meds. Wait until you are off the chemo for at least 6 months and have your doctor do full lab tests and give you clearance.
Sorry.
Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon
+2
The best procedure is NO procedure
You are in a very compromised phsically. You will be susceptible for every possible complication and it is not in your best interest at present. I would highly recommend that you recover from your chemo and your cancer first. You must weigh your desires with what is safe.
+2
No cosmetic surgery while on chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is targeted at killing cancer cells. The agents are designed to be as selective as possible, but as a general class, they attack rapidly dividing cells. (Cancer cells tend to be rapidly dividing or multiplying.) As a side effect, chemo agents hurt normal body cells that are also rapidly dividing (such as gastrointestinal mucosa, hence some of the GI symptoms from these agents.) Your immune cells that are in charge of healing your body after injury or surgery are also...
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+2
You are not a candidate for liposuction
If you are 62 years old, almost certainly your skin elasticity isn't good enough anymore for liposuction since the result depends on how well your skin will shrink. Also, if you are getting chemo your immune system is depressed from the treatments making elective surgeries unsafe. Finally, if you had ANY healing problems from liposuction, your chemo would need to be delayed and your cancer treatment could be compromised.
Best to re-evaluate the situation and avoid liposuction. You should...
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+1
NO surgery while on chemotherapy
I can understand why you'd like to do something positive for your appearance which is in your control while on chemotherapy. However, as you are immunocompromised by the chemotherapy, you should not have any elective procedure until after your treatment has been completed and you are cleared to do so by your oncologist.
+1
You really need to check with your doctor
You really need to check with your oncologist and nephrologist about having any surgery, If there is any possibility that you will need surgery for your cancer, then you should hold off on any cosmetic procedures. Also, some of the chemotherapy medications inhibit wound healing and suppress the immune system. It would not be advised to have surgery if you are on any of these medications.
+1
Check with your oncologist before having surgery.
Without seeing a picture, it would be difficult to determine which procedure(s) you would benefit from the most. Chemotherapy causes your immune system to be depressed and therefore inhibits wound healing and increases the risk of developing an infection.
My advice would be to talk to your oncologist to see if he/she feels proceeding with an elective surgery is a good idea. If he/she does, I would then recommend seeing a board certified plastic surgeon to determine which procedure(s)...
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+1
Ask your oncologist
It really depends on the type of chemotherapy you are undergoing when considering elective surgery. Certain drugs don't interfere with the immune system and are relatively safe to have surgery. Other chemotheraspy drugs depress the immune system to the point that it would be unsafe to have any elective surgey. It is best to consult with your oncologist and get his/her opinion.
+1
Chemo and Elective Surgery
This is probably not a good idea at this point. Chemotherapy decreases the bodies self defense system and makes you more prone to infections and poor healing. So elective surgery should be held off until you are cleared from the cancer and done with chemotherapy. I would guess your medical doctor or oncologist would also agree with this approach.
Cosmetic or plastic surgey is most often elective. Elective procedures should not put you at any increased risk. And doing liposuction at...
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+1
Chemotherapy may cause wound healing and infection problems
While on chemotherapy, you immune system will be suppressed as well as your ability to heal. Therefore, it would not be wise to proceed with liposuction or any elective procedure while receiving chemotherapy.
+1
Chemotherapy and plastic surgery
You should not have any cosmetic surgery while undergoing chemotherapy. Chemotherapy can cause wound healing problems and many other complications. You should focus on getting better. Once you go into remission then this can be discussed with your oncologist first.
+1
Both chemotherapy and Liposuction will affect each other
Both chemotherapy and surgery interact with each other. Chemotherapy will cause delayed healing of wounds, increased risk of infection, etc. Surgery increases the levels of inflammatory markers and could counter act the therapeutic effect of the chemotherapy. It seems better to wait until the cancer is in remission between the cycles. It also depends on your type of chemotherapy. Sutent for example is used almost all the time in cycles of 4 weeks with 2-4 weeks interruption. It is very...
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+1
Liposuction and kidney cancer
While liposuction is very safe and has low risk associated with it, those patients undergoing chemotherapy are at higher risk for surgical complications than patients who are not undergoing such treatment. It is great that you feel healthy enough to want to have cosmetic surgery but any complication (albeit low probability) would have negative implications with regard to ongoing treatment for kidney cancer.
For this reason, no prudent plastic surgeon would agree to perform an elective...
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+1
I would try to talk you out of it.
Hi. I think it's great that you feel strong enough inspite of the chemotherapy that you are thinking of liposuction. And your age is not an issue. In Manhattan, we frequently do liposuction on people in their 60's. With good technique, they do well.
But chemotherapy really interferes with healing, and I don't think any elective surgery should be done while you are on chemo.
I know this is not what you wanted to hear.
+1
Elective surgery and chemotherapy
If you are still receiving chemotherapy for renal cancer, most surgeons would not offer you an elective cosmetic surgery procedure. As you know, chemotherapy significantly suppresses your immune system, making the risks of wound healing complications and infection much higher. In addiion, surgery places significant metabolic demands on your body, which is already compromised from chemotherapy. This could lead to significant weakness, fatigue and lethargy after surgery.
Your best bet is to...
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Dallas Plastic Surgeon
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