Long-Term Oncologic Outcomes of Off-Clamp Robotic Partial Nephrectomy for Cystic Renal Tumors: A Propensity Score Matched-Pair Comparison of Cystic versus Pure Clear Cell Carcinoma

• Published in: Current Oncology
• Main Authors: Mariaconsiglia Ferriero, Alberto Ragusa, Riccardo Mastroianni, Gabriele Tuderti, Manuela Costantini, Umberto Anceschi, Leonardo Misuraca, Aldo Brassetti, Salvatore Guaglianone, Alfredo Maria Bove, Costantino Leonardo, Michele Gallucci, Rocco Papalia, Giuseppe Simone
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2024-05-01
• Subjects: cystic renal tumors; robotic surgery; nephron-sparing surgery; off-clamp partial nephrectomy; oncological outcomes
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/31/6/227
• ISSN: 1198-0052; 1718-7729

Few data are available on survival outcomes of partial nephrectomy performed for cystic renal tumors. We present the first long-term oncological outcomes of cystic (cystRCC) versus pure clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) in a propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis. Our “renal cancer” prospectively maintained database was queried for “cystRCC” or “ccRCC” and “off-clamp robotic partial nephrectomy” (off-C RPN). The two groups were compared for age, gender, tumor size, pT stage, and Fuhrman grade. A 1:3 PSM analysis was applied to reduce covariate imbalance to <10% and two homogeneous populations were generated. Student t- and Chi-square tests were used for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Ten-year oncological outcomes were compared between the two cohorts using log-rank test. Univariable Cox regression analysis was used to identify predictors of disease progression after RPN. Out of 859 off-C RPNs included, 85 cases were cystRCC and 774 were ccRCC at histologic evaluation. After applying the PSM analysis, two cohorts were selected, including 64 cystRCC and 170 ccRCC. Comparable 10-year cancer-specific survival probability (95.3% versus 100%, <i>p</i> = 0.146) was found between the two cohorts. Conversely, 10-year disease-free survival probability (DFS) was less favorable for pure ccRCC than cystRCC (66.69% versus 90.1%, <i>p</i> = 0.035). At univariable regression analysis, ccRCC histology was the only independent predictor of DFS probability (HR 2.96 95% CI 1.03–8.47, <i>p</i> = 0.044). At the 10-year evaluation, cystRCC showed favorable oncological outcomes after off-C RPN. Pure clear cell variant histology displayed a higher rate of disease recurrence than cystic lesions.