The role of cytoreductive nephrectomy for metastatic renal cell cancer (RCC) is not clearly understood, particularly since the advent of targeted therapies. Data are conflicting, and the use of cytoreductive nephrectomy in the elderly people with metastatic RCC is not well defined.

A recent study compared survival between patients with metastatic RCC who underwent cytoreductive nephrectomy with those who did not.

The study showed that there was a significant benefit for metastatic RCC patients who had cytoreductive nephrectomy in terms of overall survival (18 vs 4 months) and cancer-specific survival (21 months vs 5 months), even in elderly patients.

Read more in Practice Update here