A Core Outcome Set for Localized Renal Cell Cancer (L-RCC-COS)

Inconsistent, varied, and selective outcome reporting is problematic in localized renal cell cancer (RCC) research. Core outcome sets (COSs) offer a solution by defining a standardized minimum set of outcomes that should be measured and reported in all trials in a specific area of health or health care.

We aimed to develop a COS for localized RCC (L-RCC).

COS development was conducted over three phases. Phase 1 identified potentially relevant outcomes via a systematic review and patient interviews. In Phase 2, Phase 1 outcomes were entered into a 2-round online Delphi study, whereby patients, health care professionals (HCPs), and researchers scored each outcome's importance. In Phase 3, a series of meetings were conducted to reach a consensus on defining outcomes and selecting appropriate measurements.

Phase 1 identified 200 outcomes. The outcome list was deduplicated and refined before the Delphi study. Round one of the Delphi was completed by 168 participants, of whom 140 completed Round 2. The consensus meeting series was attended by 20 participants (HCPs, researchers, and patients). The L-RCC-COS consists of 21 agreed-upon outcomes, of which 10 apply to all treatments and 11 are intervention-specific. Consensus meeting participants were exclusively based in Europe; future validation work should determine if the L-RCC-COS outcomes are conceptually transferable to other languages and cultures.

There is a broad agreement from HCPs, researchers, and patients on which outcomes are important and how they should be defined in L-RCC. We developed the L-RCC-COS suitable for effectiveness trials, observational studies, and routine practice. Use of the L-RCC-COS to standardize outcome reporting in clinical trials and real-world evidence data collection will enable more precise and powerful evidence syntheses and reduce research waste.