Research finds DNA mutations could predict kidney cancer outcomes

Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Doctors may be able to predict the outlook for patients suffering from certain forms of kidney cancer based on looking at DNA mutations, according to new research published Thursday.

Researchers from 23 separate institutions across Canada and Europe published the results of a decade-long study, which found doctors could predict the likelihood of kidney cancer returning by evaluating DNA mutations in a patient's tumors.

The hope is the research will eventually lead to personalized treatments for cancer patients.

Over 400,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with kidney cancer on an annual basis.

"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. This treatment has recently been shown to reduce the chances of the cancer coming back but can cause side-effects. The danger currently is that some patients may be over-treated, so being able to better identify patients at low risk of recurrence is important since they could be spared more treatment," said study co-lead investigator Dr. Naveen Vasudev, an associate professor at the Leeds Institute of Medical Research.

"Development of new treatments for kidney cancer has lagged behind other cancers and we largely continue to adopt a 'one size fits all' approach."

Leeds and Montreal's McGill University were the two lead institutions behind the research, the largest-ever study to link genetic changes in kidney cancer to a patient's outcome.

Doctors traditionally gauge the likelihood of kidney cancer returning by looking at size and aggressiveness of tumors. Thursday's research could change that approach to diagnosis.

Researchers found more than 90% of patients in a group with one particular mutation were cancer-free five years following surgery. That percentage drops dramatically with different mutations, although people from both groups may wrongly receive the same treatment under present-day guidelines.

"Our research shows that it may be possible to improve the way we determine risk in each patient by looking at the genetic mutations present in their cancer. DNA sequencing is already being used to help patients with other types of cancer and so could be readily applied to patients with kidney cancer," said co-lead investigator Dr. Yasser Riazalhosseini at McGill University.

The research is part of a larger genomics study involving six European Union countries and Russia.