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Looking at a person’s DNA using a technique called DNA sequencing may provide a more effective way to predict a patient’s risk of their kidney cancer coming back after surgery, and may lead to more personalised treatment.
A recent study has been looking at changes in the genes, called mutations, in kidney cancer tumours after surgery. Studying the mutations in kidney cancer after surgery could help to better predict the risk of the disease coming back.
The researchers looked at changes in the DNA in more than 900 kidney cancer samples, and identified four groups of patients based on the presence of mutations in 12 specific genes within the DNA. The team also looked at whether the cancer had returned in each of these patients.
The researchers found 91% of patients in one group with a specific mutation remained disease-free five years after surgery, meaning patients in this group may potentially avoid unnecessary treatment. Meanwhile, the percentage of patients in a different mutation group who remained disease-free at five years was much lower, at 51%. This group of patients needed more aggressive treatment.
The results of this research means that tumour DNA sequencing may provide a more effective way to predict a patient’s risk of their kidney cancer coming back. This could, in the future, lead to more personalised treatment for kidney cancer.
