Evolving trends in the surgical management of renal masses over the past two decades: A contemporary picture from a large prospectively‐maintained database

Outcomes and Techniques of Robotic-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy (RAPN) for Renal Hilar Masses: A Comprehensive Systematic Review

Background: Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) is increasingly being employed in the management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and it is expanding in the field of complex renal tumors. The aim of this systematic review was to consolidate and assess the results of RAPN when dealing with entirely central hilar masses and to examine the various methods used to address the surgical difficulties associated with them. Methods: A thorough literature search in September 2023 across various databases focused on RAPN for renal hilar masses, adhering to PRISMA guidelines. The primary goal was to evaluate RAPN's surgical and functional outcomes, with a secondary aim of examining different surgical techniques. Out of 1250 records, 13 full-text manuscripts were reviewed. Results: Evidence is growing in favor of RAPN for renal hilar masses. Despite a predominance of retrospective studies and a lack of long-term data, RAPN shows positive surgical outcomes and preserves renal function without compromising cancer treatment effectiveness. Innovative suturing and clamping methods are emerging in surgical management. Conclusions: RAPN is a promising technique for managing renal hilar masses in RCC, offering effective surgical outcomes and renal function preservation. The study highlights the need for more long-term data and prospective studies to further validate these findings.

Surgical Trends and Complications in Partial and Radical Nephrectomy: Results from the GRAND Study

BACKGROUND

We aimed to evaluate the current trends in renal cancer surgery, as well as to compare the perioperative outcomes of partial versus radical nephrectomy.

METHODS

We used the GeRmAn Nationwide inpatient Data (GRAND), provided by the Research Data Center of the Federal Bureau of Statistics (2005-2021). We report the largest study in the field, with 317,843 patients and multiple patient-level analyses.

RESULTS

Overall, 123,924 (39%) patients underwent partial and 193,919 (61%) underwent radical nephrectomy in Germany from 2005 to 2021. Of them, 57,308 (18%) were operated on in low-, 142,702 (45%) in intermediate-, and 117,833 (37%) in high-volume centers. A total of 249,333 (78%) patients underwent open, 44,994 (14%) laparoscopic, and 23,516 (8%) robotic nephrectomy. The number of patients undergoing renal surgery remained relatively stable from 2005 to 2021. Over the study period, the utilization of partial nephrectomy increased threefold, while radical nephrectomy decreased by about 40%. After adjusting for major risk factors in the multivariate regression analysis, radical nephrectomy was associated with 3.2-fold higher odds (95% CI: 3.2 to 3.9, p < 0.001) of 30-day mortality, longer hospitalization by 1.9 days (95% CI: 1.9 to 2, p < 0.001), and higher inpatient costs by EUR 1778 (95% CI: 1694 to 1862, p < 0.001) compared to partial nephrectomy. Furthermore, radical nephrectomy had a higher risk of in-hospital transfusion (p < 0.001), sepsis (p < 0.001), acute respiratory failure (p < 0.001), acute kidney disease (p < 0.001), acute thromboembolism (p < 0.001), surgical wound infection (p < 0.001), ileus (p < 0.001), intensive care unit admission (p < 0.001), and pancreatitis (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

More patients are offered partial nephrectomy in Germany. Patients undergoing radical nephrectomy present with a higher rate of concomitant risk factors and have increased perioperative morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospitalization, and increased in-hospital costs.

Quality of life and complications after nephron-sparing treatment of renal cell carcinoma stage T1-a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Despite the fact that nephron-sparing treatment is considered preferable from a surgical perspective patients' quality of life (QoL) following different types of nephron-sparing treatments remains unclear.

PURPOSE

To investigate the quality of life and complications after nephron-sparing treatment of renal cell carcinomas of stage T1.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic search of six databases was carried out. We included studies that reported the quality of life and complications in patients aged 18 years or older following nephron-sparing treatment of renal cell carcinoma stage T1. The quality assessment was performed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist for cohort studies and the CASP Randomized Controlled Trial Checklist. Data were analyzed using a narrative approach.

RESULTS

Eight studies were included, six of which investigated QoL after partial nephrectomy and two after ablation therapies. Seven studies reported complications. Three studies reported higher QoL scores after partial nephrectomy compared to radical nephrectomy. Two studies showed that QoL increased or returned to baseline levels up to 12 months following partial nephrectomy. One study reported a gradual increase in QoL after radiofrequency ablation, and one study reported that all patients recovered to baseline QoL following cryoablation. Across studies, we found a complication rate up to 20% after partial nephrectomy and up to 12.5% after ablation therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this systematic review suggest that nephron-sparing treatment appears to be superior or comparable to other treatment alternatives with regard to QoL outcomes. Additionally, based on the studies included in this review, partial nephrectomy appears to have a higher complication rate compared with ablation therapies.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42020155594.

Prognostic Significance of Inflammation-associated Blood Cell Markers in Nonmetastatic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

Our objective was to evaluate the effect of the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR), and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) on the survival outcomes of nonmetastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We accessed our single-center, urologic-oncologic registry to extract the data for patients who had undergone nephrectomy for nonmetastatic ccRCC. The optimal cutoff for these markers was determined using X-tile software, and survival analyses using Cox regression were performed.

RESULTS

A total of 687 patients had undergone nephrectomy. The optimal cutoffs for NLR, PLR, LMR, and RDW were 3.3, 210, 2.4, and 14.3%, respectively. The NLR, PLR, LMR, and RDW were significantly associated with a larger pathologic tumor size, and stage, more aggressive Fuhrman grade, and the presence of tumor necrosis. After adjusting for age, baseline Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, pathologic tumor and nodal stage, and Fuhrman grade, only PLR remained an independent prognostic marker for both cancer-specific survival (hazard ratio, 2.69; 95% confidence interval, 1.36-5.33; P = .004) and overall survival (hazard ratio, 2.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.36-3.50; P = .001). When the PLR was included with the Leibovich score and University of California, Los Angeles, integrated staging system, the Harrell's c-index increased from 0.854 to 0.876 and 0.751 to 0.810, respectively, for cancer-specific survival at 5 years after nephrectomy. When risk stratified by the Leibovich risk group and UCLA integrated staging system, PLR was a significant prognostic factor only within the intermediate- to high-risk groups.

CONCLUSIONS

PLR is a robust prognostic marker in nonmetastatic ccRCC that clearly outperforms other inflammatory indexes in those who had undergone nephrectomy. However, its prognostic effect was limited in the low-risk category of ccRCC.