Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze the survival of 38 cases of metastatic renal cell carcinoma with secondary osseous metastases treated at the Orthopaedic Oncology Unit of the Massachusetts General Hospital. The survival was analyzed because it seemed to be considerably longer than any reported previously in the literature.
Methods: Survival was analyzed with respect to age, gender, site of primary tumor, presence of pathologic fracture, disease free interval, initial presentation with metastasis, solitary versus multiple metastases, and axial versus appendicular metastases.
Results: Survival for the entire group was 90% at 6 months, 84% at 1 year, 55% at 5 years, and 39% at 10 years. Age, gender, and presence of pathologic fracture had no influence on survival. Presentation without metastases, long disease free interval between nephrectomy and first metastases, appendicular skeletal location, and solitary metastases were all correlated with longer survival.
Conclusions: In the authors' view, patients with the characteristics correlated with longer survival are appropriate candidates for aggressive surgical resection of bone metastasis.