Tumor necrosis as a prognostic variable for the clinical outcome in patients with renal cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Abstract Background Tumor necrosis (TN) correlates with adverse outcomes in numerous solid tumors. However, its prognostic value in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains unclear. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate associations between TN and cancer-specific survival (CSS), overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS) and progression-free-survival (PFS) in RCC. Methods Electronic searches in PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science were conducted according to the PRISMA statement. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated to evaluate relationships between TN and RCC. A fixed- or random-effects model was used to calculate pooled HRs and 95%CIs according to heterogeneity. Results A total of 34 cohort studies met the eligibility criteria of this meta-analysis. The results showed that TN was significantly predictive of poorer CSS (HR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.23–1.53, p < 0.001), OS (HR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.20–1.40, p < 0.001), RFS (HR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.39–1.72, p < 0.001) and PFS (HR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.17–1.46, p < 0.001) in patients with RCC. All the findings were robust when stratified by geographical region, pathological type, staging system, number of patients, and median follow-up. Conclusions The present study suggests that TN is associated with CSS, OS, RFS and PFS clinical outcomes of RCC patients and may serve as a predictor of poor prognosis in these patients.

Keywords

• Renal cell carcinoma
• Tumor necrosis
• Prognosis
• Meta-analysis