OBJECTIVES: This research aimed to systematically collect quality of life evidence expressed as utility values for patients with previously untreated advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma (aRCC). This is an update to a previously published systematic literature review (SLR) conducted in April 2017 (Mudd et al, 2017, Value in Health).

METHODS: An SLR was performed by two reviewers using pre-defined criteria and searched from April 2017 in Embase and MEDLINE databases. Additional hand searches were also conducted for relevant peer-reviewed conference abstracts and health technology assessment (HTA) organizations’ websites. No language limit was applied.

RESULTS: A total of 792 citations were obtained via Embase and MEDLINE, while 39 were found via conference and HTA organization websites. Eight publications reporting on utility values were ultimately included. These publications included cost-effectiveness analyses (n=4), HTA reviews (n=2), a clinical trial (n=1), and an observational study (n=1). A common source for these utilities was the CheckMate-214 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov - NCT02231749). Five studies derived utilities using the EQ-5D or EQ-5D-3L instruments. Most frequently reported utilities in the included studies were specific to treatments such as sunitinib, pazopanib, pembrolizumab+axitinib, and nivolumab+ipilimumab. Impact of disease states (e.g., pre/post progression), treatment status (on or off), and adverse events were presented as baseline values or changes from a baseline utility level (e.g., disutility for grade 1/2 or grade 3/4 adverse events). Overlap existed across utility values, with 3 publications reporting similar values in progression-free and post-progression stages for nivolumab+ipilimumab and pembrolizumab+axitinib studies.

CONCLUSIONS: Treatment-specific utilities are commonly available in the literature, with existing overlap for progression-free and post-progression health states in some studies. These findings were similar to those from the previous SLR, with supplemental data on treatments such as nivolumab and pembrolizumab combination therapy. Further research is needed to determine health values across other first-line aRCC interventions.