Accurate Kidney Cancer Diagnosis is Key to Effective Treatment

Obtaining an accurate diagnosis is a crucial first step in kidney cancer care, according to Dr. Shuanzeng “Sam” Wei, associate professor in the Department of Pathology, director of cytopathology, and medical director of the Clinical Genomics Laboratory at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

He explained that while smaller biopsies can be less invasive for patients, they often provide limited tissue, which may make diagnosis more difficult. In these cases, ensuring a slightly larger specimen can help pathologists reach more reliable results.

Wei emphasized that advanced technologies, including chromosomal analysis and next-generation sequencing, play a critical role in refining diagnoses. He noted that getting the initial diagnosis right informs the next steps in patient care — from deciding between observation and surgery to determining follow-up treatments like chemotherapy or immunotherapy.

Transcript

For patients navigating kidney cancer care, what steps can they take to ensure they are getting the most accurate diagnosis, and how can they discuss this with their care team?

Yeah, I think the thing for tumor diagnosis of kidney cancer is that right now we try to use a smaller biopsy to avoid a big biopsy for the patient, and that’s good for the patient. But at the same time, with a small biopsy you often have less tissue, and sometimes for an accurate diagnosis it’s difficult. We need to educate not only our pathologist colleagues but also clinicians to get a relatively bigger specimen.

More important, I think we need to use the advanced technology we have right now, such as chromosomal analysis and next-generation sequencing, to help pathology get the most accurate diagnosis. That’s important, because an accurate diagnosis is the first step for patient management, such as whether we observe the patient or do surgery. Also, for follow-up treatment, like chemotherapy and immunotherapy, it’s very important to get the first step right.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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