Dovilė, 26, even surprised the doctors: they wondered how she could give birth with such diagnoses.

He has known since childhood that he could get sick.

“Cancer seems like a death sentence. But not for me, because I have lived with this disease, you could say, since childhood. She progressed 13 years ago. I have had serious head and spinal surgeries over the years. It had very big consequences ”, the woman did not hide.

Dovilė knew that he could have cancer since childhood. She inherited the gene that causes cancer from her mother, so the news of the cancer disease was not unexpected for her.

“I am one of the first to be diagnosed with von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, a relatively rare genetic disease, a form of cancer. When I arrived at the National Cancer Institute, I tried a new method of treatment: cryoablation. Until then, I had only had surgical incisions made.

After trying cryoablation, I felt a very significant difference. This operation lasted three days. Two days later, I was able to return home to a normal life. There were absolutely no consequences with this method. For me, it is like a miracle in medicine “, Dovil did not hesitate.

The woman is now the mother of a three-year-old boy.

“It just came to my knowledge then. All my motivation and energy comes from the fact that I am a mother, because mothers are strong,” Dovil is convinced.

Deauville’s pregnancy was unexpected even for doctors.

“Doctors wondered how she could give birth with such diagnoses. But I don’t regret doing it at all because I think I lost quite a bit compared to what I found out, “Deauville said, adding:” My baby was tested before birth that he would not get my disease due to a gene. So I can be completely calm. “

It would seem strange how a man can survive as long as Deauville. But they themselves are not surprised: “I adhere to the principle that weak people are not tested. If he gives in, it means he can lift. “

Dovilė said that she was used to being sick since childhood: “Since I was little they have“ hardened ”me so that I could get sick, so I reconciled. I, like athletes who work for results, work to keep myself from getting sick. I have a small child, which encourages us to concentrate and take even more care of my health.

A method of treatment that conserves the kidneys.

Dr. Mantas Trakymas, a radiologist at the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the National Cancer Institute (IMI), noted that kidney cancer is a fairly common disease in Lithuania. But the good news is that most kidney cancers are diagnosed at an early stage.

According to the doctor, genetically inherited kidney cancer is often found quite early. Once the gene that determines it is detected, patients are monitored for any changes and immediate action is taken as soon as they are palpated.

“This cancer can be successfully treated and patients can be cured,” Trakymas said.

One of the treatments for kidney cancer is cryoablation applied to Deauville.

“It just came to our attention then. At the National Cancer Institute, we have been using it for 20 years, but compared to surgery, it is a new methodology that we have perfected in 20 years. We are currently undergoing very complex ablations, as is the case in Deauville, where there is not one but several tumors and the kidneys need great protection.

It is the cryoablation, or cold destruction of the tumor, that helps achieve good results. In the past, these patients simply had their kidneys removed, and when tumors developed in another kidney, they had major problems, and those patients usually lost both kidneys or were even worse.

Later, it was possible to remove only part of the kidney. Even later, laparoscopic surgery emerged, allowing procedures to be performed without large incisions. And ablation is an even less invasive procedure in which special needles are inserted into the tumor and exposed to cold or heat. The difference between cold and heat is that if the tumor is in a center where the risk of kidney damage is high, cryoablation or cold, it does not affect the kidney by accurately measuring the amount of tumor and surrounding tissues that it covers. This reduces the risk of damage to other structures ”, explained the doctor.

It is true that cryoablation is not always applied, but only in special cases, such as when the only kidney remains or the tumor is left in a place where the kidney is more likely to be removed during surgical treatment.

“After cryoablation, we already have dozens of cases in which we saved the kidney, the patient remained healthy and the tumor disappeared. Cryoablation is an effective and sustainable treatment. Its results are not inferior to those of surgical treatment both in the world and in our country. I have not seen a single recurrence of the treatment, when everything was without a residual tumor, ”said M. Trakymas.

The doctor said that cryoablation has also been used successfully in the treatment of other cancer diseases.

“The advantage of this methodology is that it is a minimally invasive treatment method. We can do cryoablation without making incisions. This operation does not interrupt the blood flow to the kidneys; everything is done without touching the healthy structures of the kidneys and, therefore So we do minimal damage to the kidneys, but we do a lot of work to destroy the tumor, ”said Dr. M. Trakymas.

Approximately 700 people are diagnosed each year.

Dr. Albertas Ulys, Head of the Department of Oncourology at the National Cancer Institute, said that around 700 Lithuanian residents have been diagnosed with “kidney cancer” each year for about a decade.

“We are among the countries with the highest incidence of kidney cancer. It is for some reason that northern and eastern European countries stand out with a higher incidence of kidney cancer. The question remains, why is this so?

We know it is due to smoking, especially if smoked in combination with alcohol, as well as obesity, metabolic syndromes, heavy use of painkillers, asbestos, and other exposures to carcinogens. This increases the risk of developing this cancer. Cancer can also be inherited genetically. There are several of those genes. One of them is BVS. Cystic changes in the kidneys are also important, ”said Dr. A. Ulys.

True, the doctor found out that kidney cancer, if diagnosed at an early stage, is quite easy to treat and cure.

“The tumor can measure 7-8 cm, but it can be early and then the results of the treatment are very good: 95 percent. survival over a 5-year period. The results deteriorate significantly if metastatic disease is detected ”, warned the doctor, who urged not to avoid renal or ultrasound examination, or computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging.

A. Ulys said that when choosing a kidney cancer treatment plan, several factors are taken into account: the age of the patient, whether one or both kidneys are working well, and the size of the tumor.

“We always choose nephron-sparing surgery when we try to preserve kidney function so that we don’t have to use dialysis or live with uremia later, when life is not full,” said the doctor, assuring that kidney cancer is not a verdict and can help all patients who find it. In some patients, kidney function is maintained even in 4 to 5 tumors using the aforementioned cryoablation.

There is hope even for those with stage 4

Head of the IMI Chemotherapy Department with a day hospital dr. Birutė Brasiūnienė said chemotherapists often care for stage 4 patients with advanced kidney cancer, but even those people have good knowledge.

“Even those patients who come with advanced disease, with metastases in various organs, can be treated quite successfully today. This is by no means a lost and desperate patient, ”said B. Brasiūnienė.

Kidney cancer, according to the doctor, is completely insensitive to any chemotherapy and has previously been treated with an old immunotherapy called interferon, which was completely ineffective. However, 10 years ago, targeted therapy came to Lithuania, when it was possible to choose between 1 and 3 drugs, and many other innovative methods of treating kidney cancer have recently appeared.

“Currently, a patient with advanced kidney cancer can be offered three targeted therapy drugs, immunotherapy combinations. Even when the disease progresses, we can treat it with innovative drugs, both target therapy and immunotherapy, ”said B. Brasiūnienė.

According to the doctor, innovative drugs cause the least toxicity, so even with stage 4 cancer, the patient can work, be socially active, and live a fulfilling personal life.

The three hardest moments

Neringa Čiakienė, director of the Oncology Patients Association (POLA), noted that cancer is a life-changing diagnosis, but for many it is a gateway to new life and a testimony of hope. And aids such as art therapy also help improve the emotional and psychological state of cancer patients.

Sandra Birbilaitė, a clinical psychologist at IMI, said that the diagnosis of cancer disease is terrifying.

“Fear or stress begins long before a person receives an oncology diagnosis. Many patients say that the hardest time is waiting for results and not knowing what will happen. The next tough time is learning the diagnosis. So it seems like the whole world is slipping under your feet. But it is important to know that all these emotions (fear, fear, sadness) are normal.

There is another difficult moment after the treatment, when the active treatment ends and suddenly you have to go on living, then there is also fear.

There is also the fear of relapse. And all these people come to us, psychologists, at some point, waiting for the results, discovering diagnoses or after treatment, ”said S. Birbilaitė.

IMI psychologists consult cancer patients and invite them to group therapy.

“Group therapies are a very effective method because they bring together people who share common experiences, support each other and receive help from a psychologist. Today, we present other methods that also help to effectively improve the quality of life, reduce stress, improve the psychological well-being of a person, reduce anxiety and depression.

We integrate several different therapies: dance and movement therapy, art therapy and relaxation. These methods are integrated into the general psychological help to improve the quality of life of the person, help them to recover and return to life, to work after treatment, to their families ”, said the psychologist.