The merit of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the adjuvant setting of high-risk renal cell carcinoma: a meta-analysis.

AIM: As no meta-analyses have evaluated tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the adjuvant setting of high-risk renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the aim was to evaluate the benefit of sunitinib and pazopanib in the adjuvant setting. METHODS: This meta-analysis included all Phase III randomized controlled trials evaluating adjuvant sunitinib and pazopanib in high-risk RCC. Primary outcome was the comparison of disease-free survival (DFS) between tyrosine kinase inhibitors and placebo. RESULTS: There was a tendency for significant overall effect of both sunitinib and pazopanib on DFS (hazard ratio: 0.85; 95% confidence interval: 0.72-1.01; p = 0.06). There was no significant difference between the effect of sunitinib and pazopanib on DFS (p = 0.51;  I2 = 0%). CONCLUSION: Pazopanib and sunitinib could prolong DFS in the adjuvant treatment of high-risk RCC and seem equally effective in this setting.