Evaluating Hematuria

Target Audience: All clinicians who provide care to adults in ambulatory settings

Background

Screening healthy, asymptomatic patients with urinalysis to detect cancer is not recommended by any major health organization; the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force gave it an “I” recommendation because of insufficient evidence on its benefits and harms. Despite this, surveys indicate that more than half of primary care physicians obtain “routine” urinalyses — often for unclear reasons — in adults in ambulatory care. In this recommendation statement, the ACP provides guidance on evaluating hematuria as a marker of occult urinary tract cancer.

Key Points and Recommendations

• Among adults, esti…