After 18 months, our groundbreaking kidney screening trial funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, has closed to recruitment. Thousands of patients opted to add a 10-15 second kidney scan to their lung health check at a mobile CT scanning unit in Leeds.
Around 6 in 10 people with kidney cancer do not experience any symptoms, and they are often only diagnosed during tests for another condition or reason. This makes kidney cancer a potentially good candidate for a screening programme. Research by trial leads, Professor Grant Stewart and Dr Juliet Usher-Smith, has shown that there is public appetite for a risk stratified model for kidney screening. The Yorkshire Kidney Screening Trial (YKST) aimed to investigate the feasibility of developing a full kidney screening trial.
Congratulations to all the staff involved in delivering this pioneering trial. Look out for publication of the trial outcomes and next steps in 2023.
The trial was led by researchers at the University of Cambridge, and delivered in partnership with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the University of Leeds and Leeds City Council.
This short video outlines the trial's design, aims, and early successes: