Kaiser Study Discounts Cancer Tests

Cancer detection tests routinely performed after microscopic levels of blood are detected in the urine may be unnecessary, according to research undertaken by Kaiser Permanente.

Kaiser scrutinized the electronic health records of more than 4,400 patients treated at its facilities in California and the Pacific Northwest between January 2009 and August 2011. Researchers determined that only 2.3% of those with blood in their urine were diagnosed with bladder cancer, and only 0.2% had a diagnosis of renal cancer.

The researchers concluded that cancer testing is likely unnecessary for patients under the age of 50 who have no history of visible blood in the urine.

According to the American Urological Association, blood in urine is not often a sign of cancer. However, guidelines from the association still recommend oncological testing – including urine testing, CT scans, renal ultrasounds and cystoscopy – if blood is detected. 

“This study provides scientific data that confirms what others have suspected — that microscopic hematuria is an unreliable indicator of renal or bladder cancer,” said study lead author Ronald K. Loo, M.D., regional chief of urology for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group. “This suggests that a large number of followup examinations...which often includes radiologic and invasive procedures, could be safely avoided.”

The details of the study were published in the most recent edition of the medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.