Renal Functional Outcome of Partial Nephrectomy for Complex R.E.N.A.L. Score Tumors With or Without Neoadjuvant Sunitinib: A Multicenter Analysis

PADRES: a phase 2 clinical trial of neoadjuvant axitinib for complex partial nephrectomy

OBJECTIVE

To report the results of PADRES (Prior Axitinib as a Determinant of Outcome of Renal Surgery, NCT03438708), a study investigating neoadjuvant axitinib for tumours of high complexity with imperative indication for partial nephrectomy (PN).

METHODS

We conducted a single-arm phase II clinical trial of localized (cT1b-cT3M0) clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients with imperative indications for nephron preservation, where PN is a high-risk procedure due to complexity (RENAL score 10-12). Axitinib 5 mg was administered twice daily for 8 weeks with repeat imaging at completion, followed by surgery. The primary outcome was successful completion of planned PN following axitinib treatment. Secondary objectives included changes in tumour diameter, RENAL nephrometry score, renal function and Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST) v1.1, and surgical complications.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven patients were enrolled (median age 69 years). Prior to therapy, twenty patients (74.0%) had ≥ clinical T3a staged tumours. Axitinib resulted in reductions in tumour diameter (7.5 vs 6.2 cm; P < 0.001) and RENAL score (11 vs 10; P < 0.001). Nine patients (33.3%) had partial response based on RECIST and nine (33.3%) were clinically downstaged. PN was performed in twenty patients (74.0%); twenty-five patients (96.2%) had negative margins. Six patients (22.2%) had Clavien III-IV complications. The median change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (preoperative to last follow-up) was 8.5 mL/min/1.73 m2 .

CONCLUSION

Neoadjuvant axitnib resulted in reductions in tumour size and complexity, enabling safe and feasible PN and functional preservation in patients with complex renal masses and imperative indication.

Effects of neoadjuvant VEGF‑TKI treatment on surgery for renal cell carcinoma: A systematic review and meta‑analysis

To evaluate the effects of neoadjuvant vascular endothelial growth factor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (VEGF-TKI) treatment on surgery in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), sources from Embase, PubMed and the Cochrane Library databases collected from inception to December, 2022 were used for analysis in the present study, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Data regarding surgical outcomes were collected. The pooled effect sizes were calculated in terms of the risk ratio (RR)/standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using the random-effects model. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were used to explore the source of heterogeneity within the data. In total, 9 identified articles involving 829 patients (336 in the neoadjuvant + surgery group; 493 in the surgery group) were included in the present study, according to the criteria. The results demonstrated that there were no significant differences in blood loss (SMD=-0.11; 95% CI, -0.63-0.41; P=0.68), postoperative length of hospital stay or total length of hospital stay (SMD=0.23; 95% CI, -0.55-1.01; P=0.57) or complications (RR=1.16; 95% CI, 0.80-1.67; P=0.44) between the two groups. However, neoadjuvant therapy reduced the operation time (SMD=-0.67; 95% CI, -1.25- -0.09; P=0.02) and resulted in a greater proportion of patients choosing partial nephrectomy (RR=1.84; 95% CI, 1.47-2.31; P<0.00001). In the subgroup analysis, the blood loss was significantly lower in patients with RCC with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus in the neoadjuvant group (SMD=-1.10; 95% CI, -1.82- -0.38; P=0.003). In conclusion, the results of the present study indicated that neoadjuvant VEGF-TKI treatment in patients with RCC shortened operation time, decreased blood loss and did not cause an increase in perioperative complications. In addition, this treatment modality may encourage patients to opt for partial nephrectomy to preserve renal function.

Current Approaches in Surgical and Immunotherapy-Based Management of Renal Cell Carcinoma with Tumor Thrombus

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for 2-3% of all malignant disease in adults, with 30% of RCC diagnosed at locally advanced or metastatic stages of disease. A form of locally advanced disease is the tumor thrombus (TT), which commonly grows from the intrarenal veins, through the main renal vein, and up the inferior vena cava (IVC), and rarely, into the right cardiac chambers. Advances in all areas of medicine have allowed increased understanding of the underlying biology of these tumors and improved preoperative staging. Although the development of several novel system agents, including several clinical trials utilizing immune checkpoint inhibitors and combination therapies, has been shown to lower perioperative morbidity and increase post-operative recurrence-free and progression-free survival, surgery remains the mainstay of therapy to achieve a cure. In this review, we provide a description of specific surgical approaches and techniques used to minimize intra- and post-operative complications during radical nephrectomy and tumor thrombectomy of RCC with TT extension of various levels. Additionally, we provide an in-depth review of the major developments in neoadjuvant and adjuvant immunotherapy-based treatment and the impact of ongoing and recently completed clinical trials on the surgical treatment of advanced RCC.

Neoadjuvant Therapy for Locally Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma

There has been strong interest in using neoadjuvant therapy to decrease recurrence rates and facilitate surgical resection in locally advanced renal cell carcinoma. To date, no evidence exists to support improvement in oncologic outcomes with neoadjuvant therapy. Likewise, although targeted therapies have shown efficacy in tumor downsizing, this does not often translate to downstaging. Use of presurgical therapy for the purpose of downstaging inferior vena cava tumor thrombi is currently not supported. Future studies evaluating the benefit of newer immune checkpoint inhibitors will determine if there is a larger role for neoadjuvant therapy in locally advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Current Status of Immunotherapy for Localized and Locally Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma

Systemic therapy strategies in the setting of localized and locally advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have continued to evolve in two directions: as adjuvant therapy (to reduce risk of recurrence or progression in high risk localized groups), or as neoadjuvant therapy as a strategy to render primary renal tumors amenable to planned surgical resection in settings where radical resection or nephron-sparing surgery was not thought to be safe or feasible. In the realm of adjuvant therapy, the results of phase III randomized clinical trials have been mixed and contradictory; nonetheless based on the findings of the landmark S-TRAC study, the tyrosine kinase inhibitor Sunitinib has been approved as an adjuvant agent in the United States. In the realm of neoadjuvant therapy, presurgical tumor reduction has been demonstrated in a number of phase II studies utilizing targeted molecular agents. The advent of immunomodulation through checkpoint inhibition as first line therapy for metastatic RCC represents an exciting horizon for adjuvant and neoadjuvant strategies. This article reviews the current status and future prospects of adjuvant and neoadjuvant immunotherapy in localized and locally advanced RCC.

Recent advancements of robotic surgery for kidney cancer

Surgical management of renal cell carcinoma has undergone a transformation in recent decades, especially with the dissemination of the robotic platform. Increasingly, larger and more complex renal lesions are now being treated in a minimally invasive fashion. The purpose of this article is to review advances in the use of the robotic approach for treatment of renal cell carcinoma, including nephron-sparing surgery, radical nephrectomy, and cytoreductive nephrectomy.