Married couple share same cancer diagnosis

They have shared their lives for 44 years – but husband and wife David and Jill Kenward were stunned to discover they also share a diagnosis of kidney cancer.

The couple, from Greatstone, near New Romney, were both diagnosed with a tumour on their left kidney, and both had robotic surgery performed by the same surgeon to remove it.

And neither David nor Jill Kenward had any symptoms – they were each diagnosed after tests for a different condition.

David, 65, said: “I had so many visits with Jill when she was going through it, and then two years later I found myself sitting in the hot seat in the same room, and she was there for me.

“When I first walked in, the surgeon Milan Thomas did a double take, and I had to point out I was the patient this time.

“Because we have both been through it, we don’t see it as a big deal really, we just get on with it.”

Team secretary Jill, 63, was diagnosed with kidney cancer after an x-ray as part of her treatment for breast cancer. Mr Thomas removed a one-centimetre tumour from her kidney and she has since recovered well.

David, an electrical contractor, was diagnosed after a scan during his treatment for prostate cancer. His tumour was six centimetres.

He said: “Neither of us had any idea at all, so in a way it is lucky that they found it. Mine just showed up on the scans, and they said it was very large and needed removing.

“They are separate cancers, it isn’t that one has spread, but for us one cancer does seem to lead to another.

“We just wouldn’t have known without those scans or x-rays. The surgeon was excellent and recovery was quite quick so we can just get on with our lives.

“I have to pop some pills for the prostate cancer, so I just do that in the morning and then go to work and do whatever I have to do.

“The kidney for both of us is working well and we’re very grateful to the NHS for their care, and particularly to Mr Thomas and his team. 

Milan said: “Robotic partial nephrectomy is a complex operation because a tumour has to be excised, or cut, from the kidney, whilst aiming to preserve the kidney's blood supply.

“We have to use a clamp on the artery for a short period to allow the tumour to be removed with minimal bleeding. 

“Kidney cancers are still less common but we are seeing an increase in cases.

“To see a married couple both have to go through the same operation within a few years is extremely rare. Having operated on more than 1,000 patients with kidney diseases, this is the first time that I have encountered this. 

“I am so pleased that both Jill and David have done well since their operations.”