Serum cystatin C level can be used to estimate GFR in patients with solid tumors: CON

Abstract

Serum cystatin C (CysC) is being promoted by the major nephrology societies as a confirmatory biomarker to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Many clinicians have the impression that CysC may be a better biomarker for estimating GFR in cancer patients because it is less influenced by muscle mass and nutritional status. Cancer patients were not well represented in the cohorts from which the most frequently used Cr based eGFR estimating equations were derived. Clinical data supports that serum CysC levels are affected by the cancer milieu itself and by clinical factors that are often present in cancer patients. This article highlights data showing that serum CysC levels cannot be reliably used to estimate GFR in solid tumors.