Kidney cancer screening: novel concepts beyond population-level screening

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Oncology
• Public Health

Background:

• Kidney cancer screening is a research priority, but low prevalence in asymptomatic individuals limits cost-effectiveness.
• Traditional population screening for kidney cancer faces challenges in clinical utility and economic viability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review novel kidney cancer screening concepts beyond general population approaches.
• To evaluate strategies including risk-stratified screening and combination screening for improved efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of recent advances in kidney cancer screening.
• Analysis of risk-stratified approaches using phenotypic and genetic data.
• Evaluation of combined screening modalities for abdominal conditions.

Main Results:

• Phenotypic risk scores show reasonable discrimination (AUROC 0.67-0.71); adding genetic data offers negligible improvement.
• Combined screening, particularly CT for lung and kidney cancer, is promising and well-accepted.
• Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms with ultrasound is another combined approach.

Conclusions:

• Risk-stratified and combined screening strategies offer viable alternatives to population-wide kidney cancer screening.
• Combined CT screening for lung and kidney cancer presents a promising, publicly acceptable approach.
• Further research into novel screening avenues is essential for advancing kidney cancer detection.