Systemic therapy following metastasectomy for renal cell carcinoma: Using insights from other clinical settings to address unanswered questions

Surgical resection for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) was first described several decades ago, but the appropriate role for surgery in coordinated multidisciplinary care has not been well-defined. The explosive development of new therapies for advanced RCC over the past 10 years has improved the outlook for patients, and there is now renewed interest in surgical metastasectomy for selected patients with metastatic RCC, moving away from the conventional dichotomy between surgery for local disease and systemic therapy for metastatic disease. Patients rendered disease-free after metastasectomy are at high risk of recurrence, but to date no postoperative medical treatment has been shown to be beneficial. Ongoing studies and relevant data will be reviewed to frame the multidisciplinary approach to patients with oligometastatic RCC and to outline future challenges and opportunities for advancing their care.