Role of Surgery in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Surgery has historically been the mainstay of treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), but recent clinical trials demonstrated that contemporary systemic therapies alone are non-inferior to cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN). Thus, the current role of surgery is not precisely defined. CN remains an appropriate upfront treatment for the palliation of severe symptoms, select cases of metastatic non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma, for consolidation following systemic therapy, and in the setting of oligometastatic disease. Metastasectomy is ideally utilized to achieve a disease-free state when there is minimal morbidity associated with surgery. Given the heterogenous nature of mRCC, the decision for systemic therapy and surgery should be made through a multidisciplinary approach tailored to each individual patient.

Advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) management: an expert panel recommendation from the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group (LACOG) and the Latin American Renal Cancer Group (LARCG).

PURPOSE: The outcome of RCC has improved considerably in the last few years, and the treatment options have increased. LACOG-GU and LARCG held a consensus meeting to develop guidelines to support the clinical decisions of physicians and other health professionals involved in the care of RCC patients. METHODS: Eighty questions addressing relevant advanced RCC treatments were previously formulated by a panel of experts. The voting panel comprised 26 specialists from the LACOG-GU/LARCG. Consensus was determined as 75% agreement. For questions with less than 75% agreement, a new discussion was held, and consensus was determined by the majority of votes after the second voting session. RESULTS: The recommendations were based on the highest level of scientific evidence or by the opinion of the RCC experts when no relevant research data were available. CONCLUSION: This manuscript provides guidance for advanced RCC treatment according to the LACOG-GU/LARCG expert recommendations.

Renal cell cancer treatment: an expert panel recommendation from the Latin American cooperative group-genitourinary and the Latin American renal cancer group: focus on surgery.

BACKGROUND: Renal cell cancer (RCC) is one of the 10 most common cancers in the world, and its incidence is increasing, whereas mortality is declining only in developed countries. Therefore, two collaborative groups, The Latin American Oncology Cooperative Group-Genitourinary Section (LACOG-GU) and the Latin American Renal Cancer Group (LARCG), held a consensus meeting to develop this guideline. METHODS: Issues (134) related to the treatment of RCC were previously formulated by a panel of experts. The voting panel comprised 26 specialists (urologists and medical oncologists) from the LACOG-GU/LARCG. A consensus was reached if 75% agreement was achieved. If there was less concordance, a new discussion was undertaken, and a consensus was determined by the most votes after a second voting session. RESULTS: The expert meeting provided recommendations that were in line with the global literature; 75.0% of the recommendations made by the panel of experts were evidence-based level A, 22.5% of the recommendations were level B, and 2.5% of the recommendations were level D. CONCLUSIONS: This review suggests recommendations for the surgical treatment of RCC according to the LACOG-GU/LARCG experts.

Is Cytoreductive Nephrectomy Still a Standard of Care in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma?

Cytoreductive nephrectomy has been an integral part of management in metastatic renal cell carcinoma for patients with good performance status, based on the benefit shown by prospective trials in the interferon era and retrospective trials in the targeted therapies era. Clinical Trial to Assess the Importance of Nephrectomy (CARMENA), the first prospective phase III trial comparing a targeted agent alone (sunitinib) versus nephrectomy plus sunitinib, has been recently published, showing non-inferiority for the nephrectomy-sparing arm. In this article, we discuss the impact of nephrectomy including its immune-mediated effects, surgical morbidity and mortality, and the clinical data supporting the indications of nephrectomy in order to analyze the CARMENA trial in context, with the aim to identify optimal strategies for different patient populations in the metastatic setting.