Cytoreductive nephrectomy: does CARMENA (Cancer du Rein Metastatique Nephrectomie et Antiangiogéniques) change everything?

Abstract

Purpose of review: Over the past few years the treatment options for renal cell cancer (RCC) have rapidly evolved. Even in the setting of metastatic disease, a consistent component of treatment in RCC patients has been cytoreductive nephrectomy based on the results of research carried out over a decade ago. Despite huge shifts in systemic treatment modalities, cytoreductive nephrectomy continued to be recommended despite a lack of evidence for its use in metastatic RCC in those patients receiving state-of-the-art therapies.

Recent findings: To address the lack of evidence, two recent trials [Cancer du Rein Metastatique Nephrectomie et Antiangioge[Combining Acute Accent]niques (CARMENA) and SURTIME] sought to assess the role and sequence of cytoreductive nephrectomy in metastatic RCC patients receiving vascular endothelial growth factor-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment. The results of one of these trials, namely CARMENA, demonstrated no benefit of cytoreductive nephrectomy when used in combination with the vascular endothelial growth factor-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor Sunitinib. However, with further developments in medical treatment and questions regarding the specific methods of the trial - do these results change everything for the role of cytoreductive nephrectomy?

Summary: While the results from CARMENA and SURTIME are not conclusive, they suggest that those patients with advanced disease requiring systemic therapy should indeed receive this first prior to any cytoreductive nephrectomy.