Retrospective analysis of the differences in survival rates among patients diagnosed with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who applied to the Medical Oncology Clinic of Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal Training and Research Hospital

Objective: This study aims to retrospectively evaluate the differences in survival outcomes associated with second-line treatments in patients diagnosed with metastatic renal cell carcinoma Materials and Methods: Data from 58 patients aged 18 years or older who were diagnosed with metastatic renal cell carcinoma and received second-line systemic therapy at the Medical Oncology Clinic of Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal Training and Research Hospital between 2015 and 2025 were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic characteristics, clinical features, and the impact of administered treatments on survival outcomes were evaluated. Results: In the entire cohort, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were calculated as 70.7%, 39.7%, and 22.4%, respectively. The median OS was found to be 47.6 months. In patients who received nivolumab, the median OS was not reached, and the 5-year survival rate was 57%. In the non-immunotherapy targeted treatment group, the median OS was 38.8 months. Although the difference between the groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.163), overall survival tended to be longer in patients who received immunotherapy. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 15 months in the entire cohort. In patients treated with nivolumab, the median PFS was 12.3 months, whereas it was 48.5 months in the non-immunotherapy targeted treatment group (p = 0.439). No statistically significant differences were observed in OS and PFS among different metastatic sites. Overall survival was significantly higher in patients who underwent surgical intervention (p = 0.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that survival outcomes associated with second-line treatments in metastatic RCC are heterogeneous and indicates that immunotherapies, particularly nivolumab, are associated with prolonged overall survival. While targeted therapies may be effective in controlling early disease progression, immunotherapy appears to provide a more pronounced contribution to long-term OS.