Mike Frozzitta: I had no pain, I just had a lump.
Jennifer Matthews: That lump Mike Frozzitta is talking about was Kidney Cancer. Currently, the only way to detect Kidney Cancer is with a CAT scan or MRI, but Mike's tests showed uncertain results.
Dr. Robert Uzzo: 70 to 90% of kidney masses that appear to be malignant on CAT scan or MRI are which means that 10 to 30% are not. Unfortunately, you can't distinguish between those that are malignant and those that aren't.
Jennifer Matthews: Doctor Robert Uzzo says surgery is the only way to determine whether the mass is cancerous. That could soon change thanks to research at the Fox Chase Cancer Center.
Dr. Robert Uzzo: This study was therefore designed to help distinguish, preoperatively, which tumors will be Benign and which will be Malignant based upon a simple test that can be done within the urine.
Jennifer Matthews: Doctor Uzzo examined specific genes in more than 100 patients and looked for a defect in their tumor. At the same time, he looked at urine samples.
Dr. Robert Uzzo: When they had that defect in their tumor, they had it in their urine as well.
Jennifer Matthews: That urine test can also tell the difference between types of tumors. Mike wishes the test had been available when he was diagnosed.
Mike Frozzitta: Had this been available a while back, it might have saved my kidney.
Jennifer Matthews: That's because it might have caught the cancer sooner.
Mike Frozzitta: You can drive from here to New York to California without a spare tire but you prefer not to. So, I prefer to have that spare kidney, now I don't have that spare, so if anything goes wrong with this one--
Jennifer Matthews: The test could become available in the next 5 years. This is Jennifer Matthews reporting.
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