Surgical resection does not improve survival in patients with renal metastases to the pancreas in the era of tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Ann Surg Oncol. 2015;22(6):2094-100. doi: 10.1245/s10434-014-4256-7. Epub 2014 Dec 4.

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to compare survival of resected and unresected patients in a large cohort of patients with metastases to the pancreas from renal cell carcinoma (PM-RCC).

Methods: Data from 16 Italian centers involved in the treatment of metastatic RCC were retrospectively collected. The Kaplan-Meier and log-rank test methods were used to evaluate overall survival (OS). Clinical variables considered were sex, age, concomitant metastasis to other sites, surgical resection of PM-RCC, and time to PM-RCC occurrence.

Results: Overall, 103 consecutive patients with radically resected primary tumors were enrolled in the analysis. PM-RCCs were synchronous in only three patients (3 %). In 56 patients (54 %), the pancreas was the only metastatic site, whereas in the other 47 patients, lung (57 %), lymph nodes (28 %), and liver (21 %) were the most common concomitant metastatic sites. Median time for PM-RCC occurrence was 9.6 years (range 0-24 years) after nephrectomy. Surgical resection of PM-RCC was performed in 44 patients (median OS 103 months), while 59 patients were treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs; median OS 86 months) (p = 0.201). At multivariate analysis, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center risk group was the only independent prognostic factor. None of the other clinical variables, such as age, sex, pancreatic surgery, or the presence of concomitant metastases, were significantly associated with outcome in PM-RCC patients.

Conclusions: The presence of PM-RCC is associated with a long survival, and surgical resection does not improve survival in comparison with TKI therapy. However, surgical resection leads to a percentage of disease-free PM-RCC patients.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Observational Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / drug therapy
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / mortality*
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / secondary
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / surgery
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Kidney Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Kidney Neoplasms / mortality*
  • Kidney Neoplasms / pathology
  • Kidney Neoplasms / surgery
  • Lymphatic Metastasis
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / drug therapy
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / mortality*
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / pathology
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / surgery
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Nephrectomy / mortality*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / mortality*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / secondary
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / surgery
  • Prognosis
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Survival Rate

Substances

  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases