The utility of screening renal ultrasonography: identifying renal cell carcinoma in an elderly asymptomatic population

Abstract

each patient. Screening RUS was completed by one ultrasonographer using a 3.5-MHz sector scanner. A urologist verified any abnormalities identified by RUS during consultation. Additional imaging tests were obtained selectively and intervention was recommended based on the results of the genitourinary evaluation. RESULTSFrom the screened population of 6678 patients, 817 (12.3%) renal anomalies were found, including a solid renal mass in 22 (0.32%), simple renal cysts in 627 (9.4%), hydronephrosis in 21 (0.31%), renal calculi in 121 (1.8%), or other abnormalities in 24 (0.36%). Treatment was completed for 15 renal cancers; 13 were organ-confined on pathological review. At a mean follow-up of > 55 months, 12 of the 15 patients with RCC survived. CONCLUSIONSIn this older cohort, retroperitoneal RUS was an effective tool for case-finding by detecting significant findings in an asymptomatic population. The prevalence of solid renal masses (0.32%) was higher than reported with other screening protocols. Although probably not the best method for generalized primary screening, the use of RUS may still be beneficial for 'secondary' screening in a more selected patient population.

Urinary ultrasonography in screening incidental renal cell carcinoma: is it obligatory?

“…The rate of incidental renal cancer detected on US in patients without UUTS was found approximately 0.20% (36 of 18.196 patients) in this study. This rate is in correlation with the literature [1]. The rate of incidental renal cancer would even be lower if the study population was more homogenous.…”

“…For renal cancer screening, the appropriate patient population is defined as elderly men with a high prevalence of risk factors for RCC, the most important being history of smoking [1]. Therefore, renal cancer screening gains importance in countries in which tobacco use is common.…”

“…RCC survival has improved recently due to early diagnosis of the disease with advanced imaging modalities and improvement in surgical techniques, and immunotherapy [1,2]. Ultrasonography (US) is a widely used radiological examination for the diagnosis of urological diseases, and it is a safe, cheap, fast, and noninvasive imaging technique that is easy to perform and that lacks ionizing radiation.…”

Associations Between Presenting Symptoms, Clinicopathological Parameters, and Prognosis in a Contemporary Series of Patients With Renal Cell Carcinoma

“…Finally, health care systems differ considerably between countries. Because ultrasound studies are frequently performed in Austria and many patients are screened by ultrasound during general health checkups or while being treated for other medical conditions, more tumors are discovered incidentally, although ultrasound screening is not recommended in an unselected cohort [16,17]. …”

A clinically significant right renal mass identified as an incidental finding on endoscopic ultrasound examination

“…The widespread use of advanced imaging techniques has led to increased identifi− cation of incidental renal cell carcinomas. Solid renal masses are present in 0.32 % of the population [1]. The pre−test probabil− ity of finding clinically relevant extracolo− nic disease in average−risk, asymptomatic adults at computed tomographic colo− noscopy is reported to be 4 % ± 86 % [2].…”