A recent study conducted by UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers found that new, non-invasive imaging technology can detect clear-cell renal cell carcinoma , the most common kind of kidney cancer . The findings, published in The Lancet Oncology, might significantly minimize the number of unnecessary procedures and ensure that patients receive the proper treatment at the right time, thereby altering 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 per cent 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 per cent of cases and 90 per cent of kidney cancer deaths.
Traditional imaging methods like CT or MRI often struggle to differentiate between benign and malignant tumors.
