A sharper look at cancer

Tumors are usually diagnosed based on the appearance of their cells under a microscope. Pathologist Holger Moch wants to use DNA mutations in the tumor cells instead. His approach could significantly improve diagnosis and treatment for cancer patients.

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Robert Kunz* was lucky. When he went for an ultrasound for his abdominal pain, they also discovered that he had kidney cancer. This purely coincidental finding probably saved his life. The tumor was still in its initial stages and could be removed by surgery. Today, Robert Kunz is cured.

Approximately 950 people develop renal cancer every year in Switzerland. Often this highly aggressive tumor is only discovered when it has already metastasized and will be difficult to treat. Therefore, an early and precise diagnosis is even more crucial. A research project led by Holger Moch, Director of the Institute of Pathology and Molecular Pathology at University Hospital Zurich, aims to make this happen.

Nowadays most types of cancer are classified by histological type – based on the shape of the cancer cells seen under a microscope. It would be much more precise to distinguish tumors based on mutations in the genetic material of the cancer cells. This approach is already being used for leukemia and brain cancer.

With his research project, Holger Moch wants to implement DNA analysis for diagnosing renal cancer, as well. In his project, he focuses on what is known as the TCEB1 carcinoma. This is not yet included in the WHO classification and is histologically often mistaken for one of about 30 other types of kidney cancer. For his molecular diagnosis, Moch wants to make use of the fact that most cancer cells in the TCEB1 carcinoma are missing a chromosome.

The USZ pathologist hopes that within ten years most cancer diagnoses will be made using molecular methods of DNA analysis, making them more precise than they are to date. “The more precisely we can define the type of cancer, the more individually we can tailor our treatment,” says Holger Moch. This will significantly improve survival rates for patients with kidney cancer. The project is supported by the Lotte and Adolf Hotz-Sprenger Foundation. The University Hospital Zurich Foundation is looking for more partners.

* anonymized

100% financed

Center for Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Zurich
Department of Urology, University Hospital Zurich
Biomedical Informatics, University Hospital Zurich

Lotte and Adolf Hotz-Sprenger Foundation