Germline testing performed in under 5% of UTUC patients in claims analysis
Retrospective · JCO Oncol Pract · 2026-10-31. Number 3 in the UrologyWatch Top 5 for October 31, 2026.
A nationwide claims-based analysis of 4,783 patients with newly diagnosed UTUC found only 4.5% underwent germline testing, with no increase from 2015-2023, including just 5.6% of those diagnosed before age 50 who meet guideline criteria.
Why it matters: Raises the question of whether UTUC care pathways are failing to integrate germline evaluation despite guideline endorsement for Lynch syndrome screening; claims data cannot capture reasons testing was not ordered.
Limitation: Claims-based analysis cannot determine why testing was not performed or capture testing outside claims capture (e.g., research panels).
Source: JCO Oncol Pract · PubMed 42962157 · DOI 10.1200/op-26-00714
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