Surveillance of Complex Renal Cysts - the SOCRATIC Study

Background: One in three patients over 60 years old will be diagnosed with a renal cyst following abdominal imaging. Traditionally, experts have recommended that complex cystic lesions (also known as Bosniak III - IV cysts) should be surgically removed, but recent evidences suggest that many are benign or have low metastatic potential. Thus, active surveillance which involves close follow-up of a patient's condition, was proposed as a tradeoff option to surgery.

Design: Multicenter observational longitudinal prospective cohort study

Objectives: The goal of this multicenter project is to conduct a prospective study with a 5-year follow-up to confirm the oncologic outcomes of active surveillance in the management of complex cysts. The main objectives are: 1) to compare the 5-year cancer specific survival between cysts managed by surgery and active surveillance; 2) to evaluate disease progression; 3) to evaluate patient's well-being according to each management strategy; and 4) to compare the 5-year healthcare cost of both management approaches.

Study population: Patients incidentally diagnosed with a Bosniak III and/or IV cysts, who are deemed to have at least 5 years of life, and who opted to be managed by either surgery or active surveillance. (N=330)

Follow-up: Patients will DECIDE if they want to have a surgery or to be followed by active surveillance. All patients will be followed as per standard of care with either semi-annual and annual visits. Research visits will serve to assess vital status and quality of life scores (through validated questionnaires). Patients on active surveillance will also be assessed for cyst progression and might be offered invasive or systemic therapy if progression is observed.