The TV personality Cameron Mathison is an incredible physical specimen and an inspiration. Eight months after surgery for a cancerous tumor on his kidney, Mathison — who starred as Ryan Lavery on "All My Children" and now hosts of Hallmark’s “Home & Family” — is feeling fit and fabulous. And he’s eager to share his passion for healthy living on @allhealth360, his new Instagram page.
Read More“All Health 360 has been an idea now for several years and I'm thrilled to finally dive in,” he writes.
Mathison — who underwent a partial nephrectomy — recently shared a cancer health update: “Coming up to 8 months since my kidney cancer surgery????????.” He thanked fans for their support adding, “I have a follow up CT scan coming soon, but as far as we know I am cancer free and feeling stronger than I have in 20 years????????”
Thankful For Healthy Lifestyle
Mathison announced his diagnosis in September 2019: “About a month ago, I had an MRI for some gut issues I've been having, and during that MRI they found a tumor on my right kidney," he posted on Instagram. "It's consistent with Renal Cell Carcinoma … or kidney cancer."
Mathison said his diagnosis could be worse if it weren't for a few factors, "The good news is that it hasn't spread to any other organs. They say my healthy lifestyle and diet has no doubt helped keep it from growing and spreading to other areas, as doctors think it's been growing in me for minimum 10 years."
Health habits matter when it comes to cancer prevention, says Dr. Ken Miller, Director of Outpatient Oncology at the University of Maryland, Greenebaum Cancer Center.
"I am extremely lucky that we found it early. Thank you to my longtime friend and urologist @jon_giddens who has helped me tremendously through this process."
Kidney Cancer: What To Know
Kidney cancer can develop in adults or children. There are two main types of kidney cancer that occur in adults: renal cell cancer, and transitional cell cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Renal cell cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in tubules of the kidney. Smoking and misuse of certain pain medicines can affect the risk of renal cell cancer. Signs of renal cell cancer include blood in the urine and a lump in the abdomen. Other signs of the disease may include:
- pain in the side that doesn't go away
- loss of appetite
- weight loss for no known reason
- anemia.
Treatment for renal cell kidney cancer usually includes some combination surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy.
For renal cell cancer, surgery is a common treatment practice. Types of surgery include:
- Partial nephrectomy, a procedure to remove the cancer within the kidney and some of the tissue around it. A partial nephrectomy may be done to prevent loss of kidney function when the other kidney is damaged or has already been removed.
- Simple nephrectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the kidney only.
- Radical nephrectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the kidney, the adrenal gland, surrounding tissue, and, usually, nearby lymph nodes.
Transitional cell cancer of the renal pelvis and ureter is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the renal pelvis and ureter. A personal history of bladder cancer and smoking can affect the risk of transitional cell cancer of the renal pelvis and ureter. Signs and symptoms of transitional cell cancer of the renal pelvis and ureter include blood in the urine and back pain.
Kidney and renal cell pelvic cancers make up about 4.2 percent of all new cancer cases per year in the U.S., with an estimated 73,820 in 2019. These cancers account for about 2.4 percent of deaths from cancer in the U.S. with an estimated 14,770 deaths from this cancer in 2019. The five-year survival rate for kidney and renal pelvis cancer is about 74.5 percent.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.