A new study led by investigators from the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has demonstrated a new, non-invasive imaging technique can accurately detect clear-cell renal cell carcinoma, the most common form of kidney cancer. The findings, published in The Lancet Oncology , could greatly reduce the number of unnecessary surgeries and ensure that patients receive the right treatment at the right time, potentially changing how doctors diagnose and treat the disease in the future. "If kidney cancer is diagnosed late, the chances of survival drop significantly, especially if the cancer has spread," said Dr.
Brian Shuch, director of the Kidney Cancer Program and the Alvin & Carrie Meinhardt Endowed Chair in Kidney Cancer Research at UCLA, and lead author of the study. "But if caught early, over 90% of patients can survive for at least five years. If we are going to survey more tumors, it's crucial to accurately identify clear-cell renal cell carcinoma early on as they have a greater propensity to grow and spread.
" Kidney cancers, known as renal cell carcinomas, make up 90% of solid kidney tumors. Every year more than 81,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with kidney cancer. Among the many types of these cancers, the most common and deadly is clear-cell renal cell carcinoma, which accounts for 75% of cases and 90% of kidney cancer deaths.
Traditional imaging methods like CT or MRI often struggle to differentiate between benign and malignant tumors, leading t.
