Standard kidney function tests underestimate chronic kidney disease in cancer patients
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At ASN Kidney Week 2026, a University of São Paulo Medical School team reported that routine kidney function tests substantially underestimate chronic kidney disease in people with cancer. Among 1,200 patients with solid tumors, CKD prevalence was 18.9% based on measured GFR, compared with 10.2% using creatinine-based estimation and 15.7% with combined creatinine and cystatin C estimation. In patients whose measured GFR fell between 45 and 59, 72.1% were misclassified as normal by creatinine-based testing; adding cystatin C improved accuracy, but concordance with measured GFR remained poor. Using cisplatin as an example, the researchers warned that estimation errors can lead to inadequate dose adjustments and increased toxicity risk. Whether clinical practice guidelines will revise how kidney function is assessed in oncology remains an open question.
Written by a model from the reports · updated 1 day ago
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- medicalxpress.comPickStandard kidney function tests underestimate chronic kidney disease in people with cancer
At ASN Kidney Week 2026, a University of São Paulo Medical School team compared measured GFR (mGFR) with creatinine- and cystatin-C-based estimates in 1,200 patients with solid tumors. CKD prevalence was 18.9% by mGFR, 10.2% by creatinine-based estimate, and 15.7% by the combined estimate. Among patients with mGFR of 45-59, 72.1% were classified as normal by creatinine-based estimation; adding cystatin C improved results but concordance remained poor. Using cisplatin as an example, the authors note that GFR estimation errors may lead to inadequate anticancer drug dose adjustments and increased toxicity risk.
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