Combining kidney and lung cancer screening offers vital opportunity to save lives

Combining kidney and lung cancer screening offers vital opportunity to save lives content

Combining kidney and lung cancer screening can improve the early diagnosis of cancer and help to save lives, results from a pioneering study in Yorkshire have shown.

The Yorkshire Kidney Screening Trial, funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and led by researchers at the University of Cambridge, investigated whether an extra scan for kidney cancer could be effectively introduced to mobile lung screening programmes.

The study confirmed that combining screening for lung and kidney cancers – for both of which smoking is a risk factor – could help identify undiagnosed cases of kidney cancer.

The trial saw 4,019 people in Yorkshire aged 55-80, who had smoked at some period in their life, have an additional abdominal CT scan when taking part in a lung cancer screening, as part of the Leeds Lung Health Check. People in this group are at the highest risk of developing lung cancer and also have a high risk of developing kidney cancer. Of those offered the additional scan, more than nine in ten accepted.

Of the kidney cancers identified, 90% were found to be Stage 1. Early detection of cancer significantly increases the chance of cure through effective treatments such as surgery.

Quote from Professor Grant Stewart

Kidney cancer is curable if we catch it early enough, but it’s largely silent at that early stage, making it very difficult to spot. We know that smokers who are at high risk of lung cancer are also at increased risk of kidney cancer, so it makes sense to see if we can look for both conditions at the same time. Using an existing targeted screening programme to ‘bolt-on’ an additional screening test makes far better use of healthcare resources and could save significant costs.”

Chief Investigator on the Trial, at the University of Cambridge

Every year, around 1,044 people in Yorkshire are diagnosed with kidney cancer, making it the sixth most common cancer in Yorkshire. If treated at an early stage, the cancer is often treatable, however around 6 in 10 people in Yorkshire will have no symptoms.

In Yorkshire, rates of kidney cancer cases and deaths are sadly higher than the England average. Yorkshire Cancer Research is funding research and pioneering services to help change this. Thanks to supporters, the charity is giving more people in Yorkshire access to life-saving screening programmes like Leeds Lung Health Check.

The Leeds Lung Health Check is one of the largest lung screening trials in the UK. Since it began at the end of 2018, more than 8,000 people have been screened and almost 350 lung cancers detected.

The NHS is taking over the running of the Leeds Lung Health Check this year, so more people can take part in vital screening. Data from the trial is helping to shape the roll-out of a national lung screening programme by 2029.

Quote from Dr Stuart Griffiths

People with kidney cancer are often diagnosed at a late stage when treatment options are more limited. Screening people before they experience any symptoms means the kidney cancer can be found at an earlier stage – enabling many people to receive life-saving treatment. Adding an abdominal CT to the recently approved lung cancer screening programme could provide a vital opportunity to improve early diagnosis and could save many lives in Yorkshire and across the UK.”

Director of Research at Yorkshire Cancer Research

Jenifer Perrin, from Otley, was invited for a CT scan in 2021 as part of the Leeds Lung Health Check, which fortunately found no sign of lung cancer. In October 2022, after a follow-up scan with Leeds Lung Health Check, she was offered a kidney screening as part of the Yorkshire Kidney Screening Trial. Jenifer did not have any symptoms of kidney cancer, nor had she been ill, however she agreed to attend the appointment. It was then a small tumour was found in her abdomen which was confirmed as cancerous following a biopsy.

“When they said, ‘You’ve got the C’, I just took a deep breath,” Jenifer said. “I thought, ‘Well, it is what it is. There’s no point worrying.’”

Jenifer was offered an ultrasound treatment that required her to go under a general anaesthetic but did not require invasive surgery. Following the treatment, she visited St James’ Hospital every month for a follow-up scan and blood test. In October 2023, she was given the all-clear.

“I’m really glad I had the chance to take part in the trial,” Jenifer continued. “I’d never been ill, so without the CT scan, they might not have spotted my cancer early. As it was, they were able to blast it away using ultrasound. I think I was the second person in the world to have this treatment – the first woman in the world to get it. I like telling people that!”

With the trial confirming that people are likely to take up the offer of an abdominal scan in addition to their lung cancer screening, researchers at the University of Cambridge now aim to undertake a full kidney cancer screening clinical trial, using data and learnings from the trial.

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