Is there a role for adjuvant therapy after surgery in "high risk for recurrence" kidney cancer? An update on current concepts

Advanced renal cell carcinoma management: the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group (LACOG) and the Latin American Renal Cancer Group (LARCG) consensus update

PURPOSE

Renal cell carcinoma is an aggressive disease with a high mortality rate. Management has drastically changed with the new era of immunotherapy, and novel strategies are being developed; however, identifying systemic treatments is still challenging. This paper presents an update of the expert panel consensus from the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group and the Latin American Renal Cancer Group on advanced renal cell carcinoma management in Brazil.

METHODS

A panel of 34 oncologists and experts in renal cell carcinoma discussed and voted on the best options for managing advanced disease in Brazil, including systemic treatment of early and metastatic renal cell carcinoma as well as nonclear cell tumours. The results were compared with the literature and graded according to the level of evidence.

RESULTS

Adjuvant treatments benefit patients with a high risk of recurrence after surgery, and the agents used are pembrolizumab and sunitinib, with a preference for pembrolizumab. Neoadjuvant treatment is exceptional, even in initially unresectable cases. First-line treatment is mainly based on tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs); the choice of treatment is based on the International Metastatic Database Consortium (IMCD) risk score. Patients at favourable risk receive ICIs in combination with TKIs. Patients classified as intermediate or poor risk receive ICIs, without preference for ICI + ICIs or ICI + TKIs. Data on nonclear cell renal cancer treatment are limited. Active surveillance has a place in treating favourable-risk patients. Either denosumab or zoledronic acid can be used for treating metastatic bone disease.

CONCLUSION

Immunotherapy and targeted therapy are the standards of care for advanced disease. The utilization and sequencing of these therapeutic agents hinge upon individual risk scores and responses to previous treatments. This consensus reflects a commitment to informed decision-making, drawn from professional expertise and evidence in the medical literature.

Predictors of disease recurrence in high-risk non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients post-surgical resection A single-center, retrospective study

INTRODUCTION

Approximately 20-40% of kidney cancer patients treated for localized disease experience post-surgical recurrence. Several prognostic models exist to help clinicians determine the risk of distant recurrence, but these models vary in criteria and endpoints. We aimed to examine the recurrence rate and clinicopathologic factors as predictors of recurrence in high-risk renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients.

METHODS

We conducted a single-center, retrospective chart review of pT3 RCC patients who underwent a nephrectomy between January 2000 and December 2015. Patients registered in clinical trials for adjuvant therapy and those with fewer than three years of followup were excluded. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and univariate and multivariate Cox regression were performed to identify the rate and predictors of disease recurrence.

RESULTS

Eighty-eight pT3 RCC patients were included, and 39 patients had recurrence with a median of 23.5 months (range 1.6-127.5). Nine patients had disease recurrence beyond 58 months. Kaplan-Meier log-rank tests identified patients with negative surgical margins and low Fuhrman nuclear grades had greater recurrence-free survival. Univariate Cox regression revealed positive surgical margins, high Fuhrman nuclear grade, and large tumor sizes were significant predictors. In the multivariate Cox regression model, high Fuhrman nuclear grade and positive surgical margins were significant predictors of recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Disease recurrence occurred in 44% of pT3-staged patients. High Fuhrman nuclear grade and positive surgical margins were associated with time to recurrence. Physicians should use prognostic models to facilitate conversations about disease recurrence and continue to monitor high-risk patients beyond the recommended five-year followup period. We recommend monitoring pT3 resected patients for up to 10 years post-surgery.

Review of Robotic-Assisted Radical Nephrectomy with Inferior Vena Cava Thrombectomy in Renal Cell Carcinoma

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Recent advances in minimally invasive technology have compelled surgeons to perform nephrectomy with inferior vena cava thrombectomy using robotic assistance. Here, we aim to review the data comparing open versus robot-assisted nephrectomy with IVC thrombectomy, as well as review operative robotic techniques for nephrectomy with IVC thrombectomy.

RECENT FINDINGS

Over the last decade, there have been increasing reports of successful robotic-assisted IVC thrombectomy among skilled robotic surgeons, with case series detailing operative technique, as well as operative and oncologic outcomes for levels I-IV caval thrombus. While there is immense promise in the future of robotic-assisted IVC thrombectomy, further studies with direct comparison to open surgical intervention will be needed to ensure the oncologic principles and outcomes are non-inferior.

Clinicopathological and Molecular Prognostic Classifier for Intermediate/High-Risk Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Simple Summary

In this report, we identified biomarkers for tumor progression from tissue samples of intermediate/high-risk ccRCC. Using the molecular findings and the clinical data, we developed an improved prognostic model which could help to provide better individualized management recommendations.

Abstract

The probability of tumor progression in intermediate/high-risk clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is highly variable, underlining the lack of predictive accuracy of the current clinicopathological factors. To develop an accurate prognostic classifier for these patients, we analyzed global gene expression patterns in 13 tissue samples from progressive and non-progressive ccRCC using Illumina Hi-seq 4000. Expression levels of 22 selected differentially expressed genes (DEG) were assessed by nCounter analysis in an independent series of 71 ccRCCs. A clinicopathological-molecular model for predicting tumor progression was developed and in silico validated in a total of 202 ccRCC patients using the TCGA cohort. A total of 1202 DEGs were found between progressive and non-progressive intermediate/high-risk ccRCC in RNAseq analysis, and seven of the 22 DEGs selected were validated by nCounter. Expression of HS6ST2, pT stage, tumor size, and ISUP grade were found to be independent prognostic factors for tumor progression. A risk score generated using these variables was able to distinguish patients at higher risk of tumor progression (HR 7.27; p < 0.001), consistent with the results obtained from the TCGA cohort (HR 2.74; p < 0.002). In summary, a combined prognostic algorithm was successfully developed and validated. This model may aid physicians to select high-risk patients for adjuvant therapy.

Influence of Histologic Types and Subtypes on Survival Outcomes of Intermediate-High and High-Risk Renal Cell Carcinoma Following Nephrectomy: Findings From the SEER Database

OBJECTIVE

To understand the influence of histologic subtypes on the survival outcomes of intermediate-high and high-risk renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following nephrectomy.

METHODS

This study employed data files from the SEER Program to identify patients diagnosed with intermediate-high or high risk RCC and treated with nephrectomy. Unadjusted Kaplan Meier curves, and multivariable Cox regression analyses were applied to estimate the hazards of histologic types for overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS).

RESULTS

OS was higher for chromophobe (HR=0.58, 95% CI 0.47-0.70; P<.0001), similar for papillary (HR=0.90, 95% CI 0.80-1.02; P=.11) and worse for sarcomatoid (HR=3.17, 95% CI 2.70-3.72; P<.0001) subtypes relative to the clear cell subtype. OS was lower in the high-risk disease (HR=2.35, 95% CI 2.01-2.74; P <.0001) versus intermediate-high risk disease. CSS was higher for chromophobe (HR=0.47, 95% CI 0.35-0.63; P<.0001), similar for papillary (HR=0.91, 95% CI 0.77-1.08; P=.28) and worse for sarcomatoid (HR=4.19, 95% CI 3.50-5.02; P<.0001) subtypes relative to the clear cell subtype. CSS was lower for the high-risk disease (HR=2.86, 95%CI 2.39-3.43; P <.0001) relative to intermediate-high risk disease.

A Retrospective, Multicenter, Long-Term Follow-Up Analysis of the Prognostic Characteristics of Recurring Non-Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma After Partial or Radical Nephrectomy

This study aimed to compare the cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) of nephrectomized patients with non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma (nmRCC) and local recurrence without distant metastasis (LR group), those with metastasis without local recurrence (MET group), and those with both local recurrence and metastasis (BOTH group). This retrospective multicenter study included 464 curatively nephrectomized patients with nmRCC and disease recurrence between 2000 and 2012; the follow-up period was until 2017. After adjusting for significant clinicopathological factors using Cox proportional hazard models, CSS and OS were compared between the MET (n = 50, 10.7%), BOTH (n = 95, 20.5%), and LR (n = 319, 68.8%) groups. The CSS and OS rates were 34.7 and 6.5% after a median follow-up of 43.9 months, respectively. After adjusting for significant prognostic factors of OS and CSS, the MET group had hazard ratios (HRs) of 0.51 and 0.57 for OS and CSS (p = 0.039 and 0.103), respectively, whereas the BOTH group had HRs of 0.51 and 0.60 for OS and CSS (p < 0.05), respectively; LR was taken as a reference. The 2-year OS and CSS rates from the date of nephrectomy and disease recurrence were 86.9% and 88.9% and 63.5% and 67.8%, respectively, for the LR group; 89.5% and 89.5% and 48.06% and 52.43%, respectively, for the MET group; and 96.8% and 96.8% and 86.6% and 82.6%, respectively, for the BOTH group. Only the LR and BOTH groups had significant differences in the 2-year OS and CSS rates (p < 0.05). In conclusion, our study showed that the LR group had worse survival prognoses than any other group in nephrectomized patients with nmRCC.

Prognostic significance of pathologic nodal positivity in non-metastatic patients with renal cell carcinoma who underwent radical or partial nephrectomy

This retrospective, five-multicenter study was aimed to evaluate the prognostic impact of pathologic nodal positivity on recurrence-free (RFS), metastasis-free (MFS), overall (OS), and cancer-specific (CSS) survivals in patients with non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma (nmRCC) who underwent either radical or partial nephrectomy with/without LN dissection. A total of 4236 nmRCC patients was enrolled between 2000 and 2012, and followed up through the end of 2017. Survival measures were compared between 52 (1.2%) stage pT1-4N1 (LN+) patients and 4184 (98.8%) stage pT1-4N0 (LN-) patients using Kaplan-Meier analysis with the log-rank test and Cox regression analysis to determine the prognostic risk factors for each survival measure. During the median 43.8-month follow-up, 410 (9.7%) recurrences, 141 (3.3%) metastases, and 351 (8.3%) deaths, including 212 (5.0%) cancer-specific deaths, were reported. The risk factor analyses showed that predictive factors for RFS, CSS, and OS were similar, whereas those of MFS were not. After adjusting for significant clinical factors affecting survival outcomes considering the hazard ratios (HR) of each group, the LN+ group, even those with low pT stage, had similar to or worse survival outcomes than the pT3N0 (LN-) group in multivariable analysis and had significantly more relationship with RFS than MFS. All survival measures were significantly worse in pT1-2N1 patients (MFS/RFS/OS/CSS; HR 4.12/HR 3.19/HR 4.41/HR 7.22) than in pT3-4N0 patients (HR 3.08/HR 2.92/HR 2.09/HR 3.73). Therefore, LN+ had an impact on survival outcomes worse than pT3-4N0 and significantly affected local recurrence rather than distant metastasis compared to LN- in nmRCC after radical or partial nephrectomy.

Improving patient-clinician communication following nephrectomy in renal cell carcinoma: Development, content validation and pilot testing of a conversation aid tool

OBJECTIVES

This study developed, and established the content validity, of a conversation aid tool (CAT) for use in clinical practice with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients who receive a curative nephrectomy and are at high-risk of recurrence. The CAT was pilot tested in a sample of RCC patients to establish whether the CAT increases knowledge of RCC, treatment options (such as adjuvant therapy), and care options.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, mixed methods design was used involving initial, exploratory interviews with RCC patients, RCC specialists and a steering group. Further content validation interviews were conducted with RCC patients and specialists. A web-based survey was conducted with RCC patients (N = 60), to compare the CAT versus a standard of care (SOC) consultation comparator tool on patient knowledge.

RESULTS

Findings from exploratory interviews were used to develop the CAT. Content validation interviews demonstrated that the CAT was well understood and relevant to RCC patients. The web-based survey demonstrated that viewing the CAT significantly improved participants knowledge of RCC, and care options, when compared to the SOC.

CONCLUSION

The findings highlight that the CAT is a relevant, comprehensive and well-understood tool for use in the post-nephrectomy consultation.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Use of the CAT may increase patient knowledge of RCC and care options.

The emerging use of immune checkpoint blockade in the adjuvant setting for solid tumors: a review

The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors has been approved in the advanced and metastatic setting for many types of solid tumors. Nonetheless, their role in the adjuvant setting is limited to the treatment of surgically resected melanoma. Ipilimumab was the first immune checkpoint inhibitor approved for this indication, followed by nivolumab and pembrolizumab. Many ongoing trials are evaluating these molecules in the postoperative setting, alone or in combination with other therapies. Preliminary results are promising regarding the treatment of other cutaneous tumors, lung cancers, head and neck squamous cell carcinomas, bladder cancer and renal cell carcinomas. Some data assessing their use for the adjuvant treatment of esophageal, colorectal, ovarian cancer and other solid tumors are similarly emerging.