Genomics promising in post-nephrectomy risk stratification

Genomics may ultimately play an important role in determining recurrence risk in patients who undergo surgery for localized kidney cancer, according to Brian Rini, MD, of Cleveland Clinic.

In a presentation at the Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco, Dr. Rini discussed current models to estimate recurrence risk and the development and validation of a 16-gene RT-PCR renal cancer assay. A large candidate-based gene expression analysis was conducted on approximately 1,000 tumor samples.

“We boiled it down to 16 genes that were associated with recurrence,” he explains in this Urology Times video. But the gene signature is not ready for prime time.

“Slowly we’re making some progress into integrating genomics, and I’m hopeful in the next few years we can do a better job in kidney cancer” that would equate to what is being done with genomics in breast and colon cancer, Dr. Rini said.

Dr. Rini receives honoraria from Bristol-Myers Squibb; is a consultant/adviser to Novartis, Pfizer, Merck, and Roche/Genentech; and receives travel, accommodations, or expenses from Pfizer.