An immunoassay that tests for the presence of three biomarkers proved to be a valid screening method for early detection of malignant kidney cancer. The findings of the study have been published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
"Renal cell carcinoma, a malignant tumor arising from the kidney, is one of the most difficult forms of cancer to detect and treat properly because it remains silent until disseminating to other organs," said Nam Hoon Cho, M.D., of the Department of Pathology at Yonsei University Health System in Seoul, Korea. "Furthermore, because imaging, which is high-cost, is seldom performed without any specific reasons, developing a blood-tumor biomarker is a great chance to detect the silent killer."
Renal Cell Carcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma is kidney cancer that affects the lining of the kidney tubules. The initial stages of the cancer are asymptomatic and this makes early management of the disease difficult.
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The new immunoassay developed by Cho and colleagues from Genomine Inc. measured the levels of three potential biomarkers for kidney cancer: nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), L-plastin (LCP1) and nonmetastatic cells 1 protein (NM23A).
Using this assay, the researchers measured concentrations of NNMT, LCP1 and NM23A in 189 plasma samples from 102 healthy controls and patients with benign tumors and 87 patients with kidney cancer. Plasma levels indicated that all three biomarkers were highly elevated in patients with kidney cancer. For example, the median level of NNMT concentration in healthy controls was 68 pg/mL compared with 420 pg/mL for patients with kidney cancer.
![Quiz on Kidney Stones]( "Quiz on Kidney Stones")
Kidney stones or calculus produces the most severe form of pain in humans. The pain has often been described to be worse than childbirth, broken bones, gunshot wounds, burns, or surgery. Once you form a kidney stone you are always susceptible to another stone. Take this quiz to find out how much do you know about stone disease. Once you complete find out how you fared compared to others who have
Next, the researchers tested the ability of the immunoassay to distinguish plasma samples from healthy controls and patients with kidney cancer using the same 189 plasma samples already tested. The results indicated that the three-marker assay was highly accurate. When it correctly identified 90 percent of the samples from healthy controls, it also correctly identified 94.4 percent of the samples from patients with kidney cancer.
To validate the accuracy of the test, the researchers blind tested an additional 100 plasma samples from 73 healthy controls and 27 patients with kidney cancer. In this analysis, 67 of the samples from the 73 healthy controls and all of the samples from patients with kidney cancer were classified correctly.
"If this biomarker is truly valid and accurate to detect renal cell carcinoma, a number of patients with renal cell carcinoma could potentially be saved through early diagnosis," Cho said.
Cho and colleagues hope that this biomarker will soon be commercially available. They are currently working toward approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Source: Newswise
Quiz on Kidney Stones
Kidney stones or calculus produces the most severe form of pain in humans. The pain has often been described to be worse than childbirth, broken bones, gunshot wounds, burns, or surgery. Once you form a kidney stone you are always susceptible to another stone. Take this quiz to find out how much do you know about stone disease. Once you complete find out how you fared compared to others who have
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Next, the researchers tested the ability of the immunoassay to distinguish plasma samples from healthy controls and patients with kidney cancer using the same 189 plasma samples already tested. The results indicated that the three-marker assay was highly accurate. When it correctly identified 90 percent of the samples from healthy controls, it also correctly identified 94.4 percent of the samples from patients with kidney cancer.
To validate the accuracy of the test, the researchers blind tested an additional 100 plasma samples from 73 healthy controls and 27 patients with kidney cancer. In this analysis, 67 of the samples from the 73 healthy controls and all of the samples from patients with kidney cancer were classified correctly.
"If this biomarker is truly valid and accurate to detect renal cell carcinoma, a number of patients with renal cell carcinoma could potentially be saved through early diagnosis," Cho said.
Cho and colleagues hope that this biomarker will soon be commercially available. They are currently working toward approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Source: Newswise
Time Averaged Concentration of Urea
This calculator gives you the average concentration of urea, which is calculated with the value of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), in terms of mg/dl, before and after dialysis.
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 Drug Used in Treating Breast and Kidney Cancer may also be Effective for Cancers Caused by Myc Gene MutationA new study reveals that more than 15 percent of cancers caused by alterations in Myc gene could be treated by with drugs that are used in treating some forms of breast and kidney cancers. | Advertisement
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