<s>[INST] Hello, my mother is going to the doctors tomorrow they said she had a bunch of white spots on her kidneys, i think i recall my mom saying she has cystic kidneys? I m not sure what any of that means but she seems convinced the doctor will tell her it s cancer since her mother had kidney cancer a few years ago, but her mother started with lung cancer due to chronic smoking . What are some of the possibilities the white spots could indicate? [/INST] Hi there. Cystic kidneys are found in 1 to 2 persons per 1000 persons. This means many persons do have cystic kidneys but do not know it yet. Usually cystic kidneys are harmless but are known to cause high blood pressure, possible cysts in pancreas, liver, heart and brain. This is seen in Polycystic kidney disease or Autosomal dominant variety. Your mother needs to discuss this with her Doctor and get required check-ups for early diagnosis and prevention of any problems. There is not a problem unless your mother has lost significant weight recently. Cancer may be a part of the differential diagnosis but less common, so not to worry. Wishing good health.  </s>