Cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) benefits a subset of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), however proper patient selection remains complex and controversial. We aim to characterize urologists' reasons for not undertaking a CN at a quaternary cancer center.
Consecutive patients with mRCC referred to MSKCC urologists for consideration of CN between 2009 and 2019 were included. Baseline clinicopathologic characteristics were used to compare patients selected or rejected for CN. The reasons cited for not operating and the alternative management strategies recommended were extrapolated. Using an iterative thematic analysis, a framework of reasons for rejecting CN was designed. Kaplan-Meier estimates tested for associations between the reasons for not undertaking a CN and overall survival (OS).
Of 297 patients with biopsy-proven mRCC, 217 (73%) underwent CN and 80 (27%) did not. Median follow-up of patients alive at data cut-off was 27.3 months. Non-operative patients were older (p = 0.014), had more sites of metastases (p = 0.008), harbored non-clear cell histology (p = 0.014) and reduced performance status (p < 0.001). The framework comprised seven distinct themes for recommending non-operative management: two patient-fitness considerations and five oncological considerations. These considerations were associated with OS; four of the oncological factors conferred a median OS of less than 12 months (p < 0.001).
We developed a framework of criteria by which patients were deemed unsuitable candidates for CN. These new insights provide a novel perspective on surgical selection, could potentially be applicable to other malignancies and possibly have prognostic implications.
World journal of urology. 2021 Mar 29 [Epub ahead of print]
Andrew W Silagy, Kyrollis Attalla, Renzo G Dinatale, Kate L Weiss, Stanley Weng, Roy Mano, Skylar Iosepovici, Julian Marcon, Ed Reznik, Ritesh R Kotecha, Robert J Motzer, Martin H Voss, Jonathan A Coleman, A Ari Hakimi, Paul Russo
Urology Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave, New York, NY, USA., Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA., Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA., Urology Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave, New York, NY, USA. .