News Posts List

U.S. scientists have developed imaging technology that identifies a person's specific kidney tumor type prior to surgery.

This work represents the first prospective clinical trial to determine whether (Positron Emission Tomography) using a radio-labeled antibody is sensitive and specific enough to permit identification of clear cell renal carcinoma, said the study ' s lead author, Dr. Chaitanya Divgi. The researchers used the radio-labeled monoclonal antibody G250, which was originally developed as a potential therapeutic agent by study co-author Dr. Lloyd Old.

According to the study, 15 of 16 clear cell renal carcinomas were correctly identified using G250 PET imaging, resulting in a sensitivity of 94 percent. All nine patients with non-clear cell renal masses were negative on the PET scan -- which is highly predictive of a less aggressive cancer -- resulting in a specificity of 100 percent.

Antibody PET could end up changing the standard of care for patients with kidney cancer, said the study ' s senior author, Dr. Paul Russo. The research, conducted at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, will appear in the April issue of The Lancet Oncology and is now available online.

Source: Science News Editor, March 7, 2007