Imaging identifies kidney cancer needing surgery

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Positron emission tomography imaging using an antibody is a valuable diagnostic tool for kidney cancer.
Clear cell renal carcinoma is the most common form of kidney cancer and it may require surgery. A team at the University of Pennsylvania now reveals that positron emission tomography (PET) imaging can be a valuable aid to evaluating a renal tumor. The radiolabeled monoclonal antibody G250 was used in the study. This is known to target and bind to clear cell renal carcinoma and reacts against an enzyme which is present in 94 per cent of these cancers.

Research has shown that renal clear cell carcinoma has the highest tumor uptake for G250 of any solid tumor, which makes it ideal for PET imaging purposes. In this study of 25 patients, 15 out of 16 clear cell carcinomas were identified with G250 PET. The other patients did not have clear cell carcinoma - their cancers were less aggressive. The researchers think that G250 PET could be an alternative to biopsy for diagnosing kidney lesions. The patients had been scheduled for surgery and after the operation a pathologist was able to confirm the G250 PET results.

Source
The Lancet Oncology online 6th March 2007

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