The ABO blood group system has been previously discussed as a risk factor to develop, as well as a prognostic factor in non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Controversial findings have been reported in different populations of RCC patients with rather short follow-up periods. In this study, we aimed to clarify the distribution and prognostic role of ABO blood groups upon 15 years of median follow-up in non-metastatic RCC patients.
We evaluated the distribution and prognostic significance of ABO blood group system in two independent cohorts (n = 405 and n = 1473) of non-metastatic RCC patients, who underwent curative (partial or total) nephrectomy between 1998 and 2012 at two tertiary academic centers. Cancer-specific survival, metastasis-free survival, as well as overall survival (OS) were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method, univariable- and multivariable Cox regression models were applied, respectively.
In the two cohorts, blood groups were not associated with any clinical endpoints (for cohort 2: Cancer-specific survival (HR = 1.233; 95%CI 0.998-1.523, P = 0.052), metastasis-free survival (HR = 1.161; 95%CI 0.952-1.416, P = 0.142) and OS (HR = 1.037; 95%CI 0.890-1.208, P = 0.641), respectively). Compared to 250.298 healthy blood-donors of the Styrian state, the distribution of blood groups was (624 (42.4%) versus 106.861 (42.7%) in group A, 191 (13%) vs. 34.164 (13.7%) in group B, 575 (39%) versus 93.579 (37.4%) in group O and 83 (5.6%) vs. 15.694 (6.3%), P = 0.467).
In this large study with the longest period of follow-up reported to date, the ABO blood group system could not be validated as a prognostic factor in predicting important clinical endpoints in non-metastatic RCC patients.
Urologic oncology. 2021 Jul 08 [Epub ahead of print]
Dominik A Barth, Nazanin Sareban, Andrea K Lindner, Louisa A J Daller, Eva Maria Matzhold, Georg Hutterer, Maria Smolle, Johannes Mischinger, Jakob M Riedl, Maximilian Seles, Sebastian Mannweiler, Thomas Bauernhofer, Karl Pummer, Renate Pichler, Richard Zigeuner, Peter Schlenke, Martin Pichler
Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria., Department of Blood Group Serology and Transfusion Medicine, Medical University Graz, Austria., Department of Urology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria., Department of Urology, Medical University of Graz, Austria., Department of Orthopedics and Trauma, Medical University of Graz, Austria., Intitute for Pathology, Medical University of Graz, Austria., Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. Electronic address: .