Predictors, utilization patterns, and overall survival of patients undergoing metastasectomy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma in the era of targeted therapy

Introduction: Metastasectomy (MSX) is considered a treatment option in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) at diagnosis, but its role in the targeted therapy era is unclear. We sought to describe the utilization trends of MSX and survival outcomes in a large US cohort. Materials and methods: Using the National Cancer Database, we identified patients undergoing MSX for mRCC at diagnosis between 2006 and 2013. Linear regression methods estimated utilization trends, and hierarchical models identified independent predictors of MSX after adjusting for hospital clustering. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates and Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate overall survival according to treatment after propensity-score matching. Results: Of 6994 mRCC patients, 1976 underwent MSX (28.3%). Those treated at academic facilities were more likely to undergo a MSX (OR: 1.57, 95% CI 1.20–2.06, p = 0.001). In contrast, older patients (OR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.98–1.00), black race (OR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.51–0.82), higher pT stage (OR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.65–0.89), and who received targeted therapy (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.63–0.82, all p ≤ 0.008) were less likely to undergo MSX. Overall, MSX patients had an improved survival compared to non-MSX patients (HR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.77–0.90, p < 0.001), as well as among patients treated with targeted therapy (HR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.77–0.96, p = 0.008). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that MSX-treated patients may benefit from an improved overall survival compared to non-MSX treated patients. Good patient selection and a proper risk stratification strategy are still very important considerations.