Urine test shows promising results in detecting kidney cancer

A new procedure could, for the first time, allow doctors to diagnose kidney cancer through a simple urine test.

Until now, the only way to know if you had kidney cancer was with imaging tests, such as a CT scan, MRI or ultrasound and, if something suspicious was found, with a biopsy.

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia have found that DNA testing of urine samples not only can accurately detect cancer but also can pick up the disease in its early stages, when it’s curable. Nearly 32,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with kidney cancer, and 25% to 40% of them already have advanced forms of the disease.

Led by molecular biologist Paul Cairns, researchers examined the tumors of 50 kidney cancer patients, looking for changes in a half-dozen genes that normally suppress tumor growth. They found the identical gene defects in the urine of 44 patients, meaning the urine tests detected 88% of the cancers. In six cancer patients, however, a defect found in the tumor wasn’t seen in the urine.

If more than six genes were tested, researchers believe that 95% or more of kidney cancers could be spotted with the urine test.

The research was published in the Dec. 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research.

-- Jane E. Allen