Professor Grant Stewart has led the development of the first national guideline on kidney cancer, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

A Selwyn Fellow, Dean and Director of Studies in Clinical Medicine at the College, Grant was clinical lead for the guideline which sets out the gold standard approach to diagnosing and managing kidney cancer at all stages.

A key recommendation from the guideline, published on 19 March, is to offer biopsies to more people with suspected kidney cancer, which could double the number of biopsies undertaken nationally. Testing a tissue sample confirms whether a lump is cancerous or benign, potentially sparing patients from unnecessary surgery.

Professor Stewart said: "By offering more patients with a kidney lump a biopsy, clinicians can tell patients if the lesion is cancer or benign and if they need to consider a treatment like surgery, or if they can avoid these treatments which do have considerable risks associated with them."

The guideline also recommends that every patient should have access to a clinical nurse specialist experienced in kidney cancer throughout their care.

The approach mirrors work already underway at Addenbrooke's, where Professor Stewart has established a one-stop biopsy clinic, led by clinical nurse specialists, allowing patients to receive their diagnosis on the same day, halving waiting times compared with the traditional pathway.

The guidance can be found here.