Surgical Morbidity Associated With Administration of Targeted Molecular Therapies Before Cytoreductive Nephrectomy or Resection of Locally Recurrent Renal Cell Carcinoma

PurposeTargeted molecular therapies such as bevacizumab, sunitinib and sorafenib before surgical resection hold promise as rational treatment paradigms for patients with metastatic or locally recurrent renal cell carcinoma. To analyze the safety of this approach we evaluated surgical parameters and perioperative complications in patients treated with targeted molecular therapies before cytoreductive nephrectomy or resection of retroperitoneal renal cell carcinoma recurrence, and compared them to a matched patient cohort who underwent up-front surgical resection.Materials and MethodsWe evaluated surgical parameters and perioperative complications in 44 patients treated with targeted molecular therapies before cytoreductive nephrectomy or resection of local renal cell carcinoma recurrence, and in a matched cohort of 58 patients who underwent up-front surgery.ResultsCohorts of patients treated with preoperative targeted molecular therapy and initial surgical resection were matched in terms of clinical characteristics, burden of metastatic disease and number of adverse prognostic factors. A total of 39 complications occurred in 17 (39%) patients treated with preoperative targeted molecular therapy and in 16 (28%) who underwent up-front resection (p = 0.287). There were no statistically significant differences in surgical parameters, incidence of perioperative mortality, re-exploration, readmission, thromboembolic, cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, infectious or incision related complications between patients treated with preoperative targeted molecular therapy and those who underwent up-front surgery. Duration, type and interval from targeted molecular therapy to surgical intervention were not associated with the risk of perioperative morbidity.ConclusionsPreoperative administration of targeted molecular therapies is safe, and does not increase surgical morbidity or perioperative complications in patients treated with cytoreductive nephrectomy or resection of recurrent retroperitoneal renal cell carcinoma.