Concentrations of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) in the blood may predict for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) up to 5 years prior to diagnosis, according to the results of a study published in Clinical Cancer Research. Additionally, those patients with high concentrations of KIM-1 had worse survival, the study showed.
“Identifying a sensitive and specific tumor marker that can detect early-stage RCC would have strong potential to improve the overall survival for RCC,” wrote Ghislaine Scelo, PhD, MS, of the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, and colleagues. “There is currently no known blood-based biomarker that is predictive of future RCC diagnosis.”
According to the study, there is no current method for screening for RCC in people who are not known to carry one of the gene variants associated with an increased risk for the disease. Therefore, identifying a marker that can help detect RCC at an early stage could potentially improve survival.
