Researchers are constantly looking for biomarkers to help predict which patients will respond to each kidney cancer treatment. A study in Scandinavia has discovered a protein called tumour associated trypsin inhibitor (TATI) that is a biomarker for several tumours and for inflammation. High levels of TATI in the blood predicts an unfavourable outcome for many cancers. The current study looked at the ability of TATI levels in the blood to predict the prognosis of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

The study involved 132 patients with RCC who had a partial or complete nephrectomy. The levels of TATI in the blood before surgery were significantly associated with the stage of the tumour, spread of the cancer to the lymph nodes, metastatic stage, Chronic Kidney Disease Stage (CKD grade), and C-reactive protein levels. After surgery, blood TATI levels were only associated with CKD grade. Continuous analysis of post-surgery blood TATI levels showed the TATI was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival and cancer-specific survival.

In conclusion, this study suggests that high levels of TATI in the blood after surgery may be associated with a poor prognosis in RCC patients.

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