The role of cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) remains controversial during the targeted therapy era. To reconcile the current literature, we analyzed the reported survival data at the individual patient level and compared the long-term survival outcomes of CN combined with targeted therapy vs. targeted therapy alone in patients with mRCC. We performed a systematic review of the literature using the MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases (end-of-search date: 21 July 2020). We recuperated individual patient data from the Kaplan–Meier curves for overall (OS), progression-free (PFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) from each study. We subsequently performed one-stage frequentist and Bayesian random-effects meta-analyses using both Cox proportional hazards and restricted mean survival time (RMST) models. Two-stage random-effects meta-analyses were also performed as sensitivity analyses. A subgroup analysis was also performed to determine the effect of CN timing. Fifteen studies fulfilling our inclusion criteria were identified, including fourteen retrospective cohort studies and one randomized controlled trial. In the one-stage frequentist meta-analysis, the CN group had superior OS (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.54–0.62, p < 0.0001) and CSS (HR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.53–0.75, p < 0.0001). No meaningful clinical difference was observed in PFS (HR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.80–1.02, p = 0.09). One-stage Bayesian meta-analysis also revealed superior OS (HR: 0.59, 95% credibility interval [CrI]: 0.55–0.63) and CSS (HR: 0.63, 95% CrI: 0.53–0.75) in the CN group, while no meaningful clinical difference was detected in PFS (HR: 0.91, 95% CrI: 0.80–1.02). Similar results were obtained with the RMST models. The OS benefit was also noted in the two-stage meta-analyses models, and in the subgroup of patients who received upfront CN. The combination of CN and targeted therapy for mRCC may lead to superior long-term survival outcomes compared to targeted therapy alone. Careful patient selection based on prognostic factors is required to optimize outcomes.
317 Background: The role of cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with targeted therapy agents remains controversial. We used reconstructed individual patient data (IPD) to compare the long-term survival outcomes of CN combined with targeted therapy vs. targeted therapy alone for mRCC. Methods: We performed a systematic review of the literature using the MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases (end-of-search date: July 21, 2020). We reconstructed the Kaplan-Meier curves and subsequently recuperated IPD for overall (OS), progression-free (PFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) from individual studies. We performed one-stage random-effects frequentist and Bayesian meta-analyses of OS, PFS, and CSS using parametric and non-parametric estimates. We also performed a subgroup analysis focusing on upfront CN and excluding patients with deferred CN. The risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-I and RoB2 tools. Results: Fifteen studies fulfilling our inclusion criteria were identified, including fourteen retrospective cohort studies and one randomized controlled trial. No studies were found to be at critical risk of bias. A total of 3,990 patients were included, with 2,234 in the CN group and 1,756 in the non-CN group. Our frequentist meta-analysis showed superior OS (HR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.54-0.62, p<0.0001) and CSS (HR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.53-0.75, p < 0.0001) in favor of CN. No clinically meaningful differences were observed in the PFS between the two groups (HR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.80-1.02, p=0.09). The OS benefit was also observed in the upfront CN subgroup (HR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.63-0.78, p<0.001). Similar results were obtained with non-parametric frequentist and Bayesian approaches (Table). Conclusions: The combination of CN and targeted therapy for mRCC is associated with superior long-term survival outcomes compared with targeted therapy alone. Careful patient selection based on prognostic factors is required to achieve optimal outcomes. [Table: see text]
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