Urine Test Could Drastically Reduce Post-Surgery Scans for Kidney Cancer Patients: Study Finds
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A simple urine test could accurately show the recurrence of kidney cancer at an early stage, potentially sparing patients invasive scans and enabling faster access to treatment, new research has shown.
The findings are presented at the European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Madrid . The test analyses the distinctive profiles of certain types of sugar molecules, called glycosaminoglycans which are found in urine. These profiles are known as the GAGome.
Currently, the only way to monitor patients is through a scan – usually a CT scan – every 6 to 12 months, with the frequency depending on their level of risk. The study’s initial cohort involved 134 patients treated at 23 hospitals across the UK, EU, USA and Canada. The patients were all diagnosed with ccRCC which had not spread beyond the kidney, and which was treated with surgery. Most had their kidney completely removed. All patients continued to have CT scans as standard monitoring after surgery, alongside a urine test every 3 months. Each urine sample was analysed using mass spectrometry to produce a score out of 100, called the GAGome score.
After up to 18 months of follow up, 15% of patients had seen their cancer return. The GAGome test was extremely sensitive in picking up recurrence, correctly identifying 90% of patients whose cancer had returned, while correctly ruling out just over half of those who remained cancer-free. These results were based on a GAGome score threshold optimised at 12/100. A score above 12 was counted as positive, and 12 or below as negative.
A positive result in the study yielded a 26% chance the patient actually had a recurrence. More importantly, a negative GAGome score resulted in a highly reliable 97% chance that the patient did not have a recurrence. The higher the GAGome score, the more likely the positive result correctly identified recurrence.
If you have a urine test that can accurately show whether the cancer has actually returned then you can better assess risk levels and reduce the frequency of the scans required, the authors said.
Based on the results the authors have so far, it’s likely that they could safely halve the number of scans that patients have to undergo.
Ref: European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Madrid, Monday 24 March 2025.
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