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GFR stands for Glomerular Filtration Rate. This test will look at how well your kidneys are working.
Some medicines that you’ll have during your treatment may affect the way your kidneys work. Your doctors will let you know if you’re going to have any of these drugs.
You’ll have a kidney test before you start treatment and at various times during the treatment. This helps to keep an eye on the effect the medicines are having on your kidneys.
The test involves injecting a radioactive dye (that’s harmless) into a vein. Blood samples are then taken to measure how well your kidneys’ drainage tubes are filtering out the radioactive dye. A nurse will take a blood test once an hour - two, three and four hours after the dye’s been injected.
The blood samples will be able to show how much of the radioactive dye is left in your blood. This lets the doctors know how well your kidneys have been working to get rid of it. Your doctors will talk to you about the results.
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If you have any questions about cancer, need support or just want someone to talk to, ask Macmillan.