Genes reveal kidney cancer’s risk of recurrence

A decade-long international study into kidney cancer has shown that doctors can predict the likelihood of a patient's disease returning by looking at DNA mutations in their tumours. The research, undertaken by a team of 44 researchers at 23 institutions across Europe and Canada, and published today, is the largest to link the genetic changes that occur in kidney cancer to patient outcomes. More than 400,000 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer each year globally, including 13,000 people in the UK. The findings may be used to develop more personalised treatment approaches for kidney cancer in the future. Co-lead investigator Dr Naveen Vasudev, Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology in the Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's , said: "Development of new treatment for kidney cancer has lagged behind other cancers and we largely continue to adopt a 'one size fits all' approach. The danger currently is that some patients may be over-treated Dr Naveen Vasudev, Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's - "Accurately determining the risk of recurrence is very important. As well as helping us identify how often patients need to be seen by their doctors, it helps us to decide who to treat with immunotherapy.