Condition assessment and treatment strategy selection for patients with renal cell carcinoma bone metastasis

Objective To investigate the assessment and treatment strategy of patients with renal cell carcinoma. Methods The clinical data of 43 patients with renal cell carcinoma and bone metastases admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2006 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The follow-up time was 6 years, with an average age of 55.4 years (21-87 years). There were 29 males, 14 females, 22 cases of limb bone metastasis, 12 cases of spinal metastasis, 9 cases of multiple bone metastasis, 21 cases of Fuhrman grade 1 and 2, 19 cases of T1, and 20 cases of N0. All patients were confirmed by postoperative pathological examination or imaging data suggesting that bone metastasis are from renal cell carcinoma. Forty-three patients underwent primary renal surgery, and molecular targeted therapy was used after the operation. The treatment process was smooth, no obvious discomfort, and postoperative pathology showed clear cell carcinoma.22 patients with limb bones metastasis and 12 patients with spinal metastasis included in the study all met the indications for secondary surgery after the disease assessment. After communicating with the patient, 13 patients with limbs metastasis and 6 patients with spinal metastasis received local treatment, including complete resection of the extremities and spinal fixation, the remaining 15 patients and 9 patients with multiple bone metastasis were treated conservatively. There were 19 patients in the local treatment group, 13 patients with limbs bone metastasis, 6 patients with spinal bone metastasis, the average age was 54.9 years, the average diameter of the primary tumor was 4.7 cm. There were 24 patients in the conservative treatment group, 9 patients with limbs metastasis, 6 patients with spinal metastases and 9 cases with multiple bone metastasis, with an average age of 56 years and a primary tumor diameter of 5.6 cm. Limb metastatic lesions were evaluated according to the patient's general condition, bone pain, fracture risk, and bone metastasis. Spinal lesions were evaluated according to Tokuhashi score, Harrington score, Tomita score, vertebral stability assessment, and molecular targeted therapy. Aminokinase inhibitors, conservative treatment with local radiotherapy and bisphosphonate treatment. Results During the follow-up period, the 1-year overall survival rate of the local treatment group was 100.0%, the 2-year overall survival rate was 89.4%, and the 5-year overall survival rate was 73.7%. The 1-year overall survival rate of the conservative treatment group was 87.5%, and the 2-year overall survival rate was 62.5%. The 5-year overall survival rate was 16.7%. The 2-year and 5-year survival rates of the local treatment group were statistically different (P=0.044, P=0.000) compared with the conservative treatment group. For patients with limb bone metastasis, the 5-year survival rate was significantly higher in patients receiving topical treatment than in the conservative treatment group (P=0.011). For spinal metastasis, spinal pain in the local treatment group was alleviated to varying degrees. No spinal instability and spasticity were observed after follow-up. In the spine patients who received conservative treatment, 3 patients developed paraplegia, which was statistically different from local treatment (P=0.046). Another 9 patients with multiple bone metastases did not undergo local surgery, and all died after multiple organ failure. Conclusions At the same time of molecular targeted therapy, according to the evaluation results, selective treatment of bone metastases with secondary surgical indications, including complete resection of the extremities and spinal fixation, can significantly improve the survival and quality of life of those patients. Key words: Carcinoma, renal cell; Bone metastasis; Condition evaluation; Treatment strategy; Complete resection; Spine fixation