Assessing the burden of complications after surgery for clinically localized kidney cancer by age and comorbidity status

Objective To examine the association between high-risk patient status (age >75 years or Charlson comorbidity index count >2) and postoperative complications in patients undergoing surgical management for clinically localized renal tumors. Materials and Methods Patients undergoing radical nephrectomy (RN) or partial nephrectomy (PN) (2005-2012) for localized renal cell carcinoma were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to test the association between high-risk status and postoperative complications adjusting for patient, tumor, and operative characteristics. Results Of 1092 patients undergoing PN (71.9%) or RN (28.1%) for clinically localized renal tumors, 255 (23.4%) were classified as high risk, and 175 patients (16%) developed at least 1 complication (mean 1.6 ± 1.0). Of note, 22.4% and 14.1% of high- and low-risk patients developed a complication, respectively (P =.002). Comparing high- and low-risk patients, significant differences in Clavien I-II (20.4% vs 11.1%; P <.001) and medical (16.1% vs 8.1%, P <.001) complications were observed, whereas no differences were seen in Clavien III-V or surgical complications. No differences in complications were observed comparing patients treated with RN and PN, albeit high-risk patients were more likely to undergo RN (35.3% vs 25.9%, P =.04). After adjustment, the odds of incurring any complication were 1.9 times higher in high- compared with low-risk patients (odds ratio 1.9 [confidence interval 1.3-2.8]). Conclusion Regardless of surgical type, patients deemed high risk by age and comorbidity criteria were more likely to incur a postoperative complication after renal mass resection. Improved understanding of surgical risks in the elderly and infirmed will help better inform patients deciding between active surveillance and resection of renal tumors.