Screening for renal cell carcinoma by ultrasound - a pilot study

The goal of this study was to investigate the practicability and effectiven ess of a systematic screening for renal cell carcinoma by ultrasound in the course of the established German Health Ministry screening programs. Methods: In Two centers (Mainz and Wuppertal) a screening program for renal cell carcinoma for all citizens (age >40 years) was established. The scree ning was divided into two phases (time period 1 year): (1) All citizens ove r 40 years could attend voluntarily a cost-free ultrasound investigation. ( 2) A follow-up investigation for the entire screening population was provid ed. Results: Ten thousand volunteers attended the screening program. Mean age w as 60 years. Thirteen renal cell carcinomas were detected. The incidence of other findings was 15%; none of those required further treatment. Conclusion: Systematic screening for renal cell carcinoma by ultrasound is cost-effective and showed high acceptance and practicability in a German po pulation. The rate of detection of renal cell carcinoma was higher than ini tially statistically calculated.