Prognostic Significance of Radiographic Lymph Node Invasion in Contemporary Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients.

To test the prognostic significance of radiographic cN-stage in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients with low metastatic burden (1 site of metastasis), relying on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (SEER 2010-2020).

Included were mRCC patients with 1 site of metastasis, treated with systemic therapy without cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN). Kaplan-Meier plots and multivariable Cox-regression models addressed cancer-specific mortality (CSM) according to radiographic cN-stage (ccN1 vs. ccN0). Separate subgroup analyses were performed, addressing radiographic N-stage in patients with distinct histology (clear-cell vs. RCC not otherwise specified [RCC NOS]).

Of 1756 mRCC patients, 545 (31%) were radiographic cN1. Overall, the median CSM-free survival of the cohort was 11 months. Median CSM-free survival was 8 vs. 14 months in radiographic cN1 vs. cN0 mRCC patients (HR 1.49, P < .0001). In multivariable Cox regression analyses, radiographic cN1 status was an independent predictor of higher CSM (HR 1.39; P = .01). In subgroup analyses, addressing patients with clear-cell histology and patients with RCC NOS separately, radiographic cN1 status remained independently associated with a higher CSM in both groups (clear-cell: HR 1.36; P = .03; RCC NOS: HR 2.06; P = .009).

In mRCC patients with low metastatic burden, presence or absence of radiographic lymph node invasion results in a clinically meaningful discrimination between those with poor prognosis and others. In consequence, consideration of radiographic lymph node invasion might be of great value in this specific population of mRCC patients.

Clinical genitourinary cancer. 2023 Oct 30 [Epub ahead of print]

Lukas Scheipner, Reha-Baris Incesu, Simone Morra, Andrea Baudo, Anis Assad, Letizia Maria Ippolita Jannello, Carolin Siech, Mario de Angelis, Zhe Tian, Fred Saad, Shahrokh F Shariat, Alberto Briganti, Felix K H Chun, Derya Tilki, Nicola Longo, Luca Carmignani, Ottavio De Cobelli, Martin Pichler, Sascha Ahyai, Pierre I Karakiewicz

Division of Urology, Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit, University of Montréal Health Center, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Urology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. Electronic address: ., Division of Urology, Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit, University of Montréal Health Center, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Martini-Klinik Prostate Cancer Center, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany., Division of Urology, Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit, University of Montréal Health Center, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Neurosciences, Science of Reproduction and Odontostomatology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy., Division of Urology, Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit, University of Montréal Health Center, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Urology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Milan, Italy., Division of Urology, Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit, University of Montréal Health Center, Montréal, Québec, Canada., Division of Urology, Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit, University of Montréal Health Center, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Urology, IEO European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy; Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy., Division of Urology, Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit, University of Montréal Health Center, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Urology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany., Division of Urology, Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit, University of Montréal Health Center, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Division of Experimental Oncology/Unit of Urology, URI, Urological Research Institute, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy., Department of Urology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY; Department of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX; Hourani Center for Applied Scientific Research, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman, Jordan., Division of Experimental Oncology/Unit of Urology, URI, Urological Research Institute, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy., Department of Urology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany., Martini-Klinik Prostate Cancer Center, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Urology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Urology, Koc University Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey., Department of Neurosciences, Science of Reproduction and Odontostomatology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy., Department of Urology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Milan, Italy; Department of Urology, IRCCS Ospedale Galeazzi - Sant'Ambrogio, Milan, Italy., Department of Urology, IEO European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy; Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Department of Oncology and Haemato-Oncology, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy., Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; Department of Hematology and Oncology, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany., Department of Urology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.