Differences in overall survival between clear cell metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients versus population-based controls according to race/ethnicity in the United States

PURPOSE: To quantify differences in five-year overall survival (OS) between clear cell metastatic renal cell carcinoma (ccmRCC) patients and age- and sex-matched population-based controls, especially when race/ethnicity is considered.

METHODS: We relied on the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database (2006-2016) to identify newly diagnosed (2006- 2011) ccmRCC patients of either Caucasian, Hispanic, African American, or Asian/Pacific Islander race/ethnicity. For each case, we simulated an age- and sex-matched control (Monte Carlo simulation), relying on Social Security Administration Life Tables with five-year follow-up. We compared OS between ccmRCC patients and controls. Multivariable Cox regression models tested for race/ethnicity effect on OS.

RESULTS: Of 3067 ccmRCC patients, 2167 (71%) were Caucasians vs. 488 (16%) Hispanics vs. 216 (7%) African Americans and 196 (6%) Asians/Pacific Islanders. At five years, OS difference between ccmRCC patients vs. population-based controls was greatest in African Americans (11 vs. 94%, Δ = 84%), followed by Hispanics (16 vs. 94%, Δ = 77%), Caucasians (16 vs. 89%, Δ = 73%) and Asians/Pacific Islanders (19 vs. 88%, Δ = 70%). In multivariable Cox regression models, African Americans exhibited highest Hazard Ratio for death (HR 1.3, p= 0.003).

CONCLUSION: Relative to Life Tables' derived age- and sex-matched controls, ccmRCC patients exhibit drastically worse OS, especially African Americans.