A study to find out more about biomarkers in kidney cancer

Please note - this trial is no longer recruiting patients. We hope to add results when they are available.

Cancer type:

Kidney cancer

Status:

Closed

Phase:

Other

In this study doctors want to develop biomarker tests Open a glossary item that can help in the treatment of kidney cancer.

A biomarker is a substance in the body that doctors can measure, to help them tell how a disease is developing or a treatment is working.

Doctors will look at blood and urine samples from people with kidney cancer and from healthy volunteers. They hope to find differences between the samples that may lead to a blood or urine test that could help with the treatment of kidney cancer in the future.

The aims of this study are to develop biomarker tests that could

Predict how well a treatment will work
Show how a treatment is working
Show as soon as the cancer starts to grow again

You will not have any direct benefit from taking part in this study, and it is unlikely to change your treatment plan. But the results of the study will be used to help people in the future.

Who can enter

You may be able to enter this trial if you are at least 18 years old and either

Have kidney cancer OR
Are a healthy volunteer who wishes to take part

If you have kidney cancer, you cannot enter this trial if you

Have Von Hippel Lindu syndrome (vHL)
Have developed kidney cancer after having kidney dialysis
Are known to be HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C positive
Have already had treatment for your kidney cancer

If you are a healthy volunteer, you cannot enter this trial if you

Have had cancer in the past
Are known to be HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C positive
Have had problems with your kidneys in the past
Have had a urine infection in the last 3 months

Trial design

This trial will recruit 700 people with kidney cancer and 200 people who do not have kidney cancer (healthy volunteers) from hospitals in the UK.

Everyone taking part will give blood and urine samples.

If you have kidney cancer and agree to take part in this study, the researchers will ask for a sample of tissue (a biopsy Open a glossary item ) taken when you had surgery to remove your cancer. You may also have a series of blood and urine tests.

Healthy volunteers will give one blood and urine sample and then take no further part in the study.

Hospital visits

When you join the trial, you see the doctors, have a blood test taken and give a urine sample. Doctors will try to take these samples at the same time as your routine blood tests, so you will not need to make any extra trips to the hospital.

If you are one of the first 200 people with kidney cancer to enter this study, you may give extra blood and urine samples

3 to 6 months after your surgery
Every 6 months for 2 years
If your cancer starts to grow again

You give these samples when you are at the hospital seeing your cancer doctors, so you do not have any extra visits.

The research team will collect information about how you are for 5 years. They collect this information from your medical notes so you do not have to visit the hospital for this.

Side effects

You may have some discomfort when the needle goes into your vein for the blood sample. As with any blood test, there may be some mild bruising around the site, but this will clear after a week or two.