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Surveillance of Complex Renal Cysts - The SOCRATIC Study

Surveillance of Complex Renal Cysts - The SOCRATIC Study

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04558593
Acronym
SOCRATIC
Enrollment
330
Registered
2020-09-22
Start date
2021-02-02
Completion date
2031-09-20
Last updated
2026-06-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Complex Renal Cyst

Keywords

renal cyst, complex cyst, Bosniak III, Bosniak IV, renal masses, active surveillance, monitoring, surgery

Brief summary

One third of individuals aged \>60 years will be diagnosed with at least one renal cyst following abdominal imaging. These cystic lesions are categorized according to the Bosniak classification which categorizes cysts according to their degree of complexity and risk of malignancy. Growing evidence suggests that a significant proportion of Bosniak III and IV cysts are benign and that the malignant ones present low metastatic potential. Since renal surgery carries substantial morbidity (20%) and potential mortality (0.5%), active surveillance has gained attention as a potential tradeoff to surgery to overcome overtreatment. Therefore, prospective studies of long-term follow-up are needed to confirm the oncologic safety of this strategy for patients with Bosniak III/IV cysts. This is an multicenter prospective observational longitudinal study. The main objective is to compare the 5-year follow-up cancer-specific survival between the active surveillance and the surgical groups.

Detailed description

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.

Interventions

PROCEDUREActive surveillance

Per standard of care: Imaging and blood tests every 6 months (3 first years) and annually (following years)

PROCEDURESurgery

Per standard of care: partial or full resection of the kidney, imaging annually

Sponsors

Université de Sherbrooke
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* 18 years old and older; * diagnosed with a Bosniak III or IV cyst (classification 2019); * size of cystic component ≤7cm; * cyst wall/septum nodule (obtuse margin of protrusion) \<10mm (perpendicular axis) or nodular/solid component ≤2 cm in any axis; * life expectancy \>5 years (by physician's estimate); * new diagnosis ≤ 12 months from accrual date; * currently asymptomatic from the disease; * deemed fit enough for surgery; * willingness and ability to complete questionnaires in either French or English; * able and willing to provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

* history of a hereditary renal cancer syndrome; * presence of polycystic kidney disease; * any prior history of RCC; * received systemic therapy for another malignancy within the 12 months prior to accrual; * uncontrolled medical illness including infections, hypertension, arrhythmias, heart failure, or myocardial infarction/unstable angina within 6 months that would predispose to immediate surgical therapy; * metastatic disease or evidence of vascular or nodal disease; * unwillingness to undergo monitoring and imaging studies; * any contra-indication(s) to contrast-enhanced imaging (estimated glomerular filtration rate \<30min/mL)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
5-year cancer-specific survivalfrom the date of enrollment (defined by signed consent) to the end of follow-up (up to 5 years)Defined as kidney cancer survival 5 years after the enrollment

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
5-year overall survivalfrom the date of enrollment (defined by signed consent) to the end of follow-up (up to 5 years)Defined as survival 5 years after enrollment
2-year overall survivalfrom the date of enrollment (defined by signed consent) up to 2 years of follow-upDefined as survival 2 years after enrollment
2-year cancer-specific survivalfrom the date of enrollment (defined by signed consent) up to 2 years of follow-upDefined as kidney cancer survival 2 years after the enrollment
Treatment-free survivalfrom the date of enrollment (defined by signed consent) up to 2 and 5 years of follow-upDefined as survival without treatment (in active surveillance group)
Discontinuation ratefrom the date of enrollment (defined by signed consent) to the end of follow-up (up to 5 years)Defined as the number of people who discontinued active surveillance at the end of the study (over the total)
Tumor growth rateif there is a progression, at the time of imaging (undefined, between 6 months and 5 years post-enrollment)Defined by change in volume (cm3 ) and change in maximal diameter measured over time (years). Volume will be calculated using the formula for ellipsoid volume: 0.5326 x length x width x height.
Tumor progression rateif there is a progression, at the time of imaging (undefined, between 3 months and 5 years post-enrollment)Defined as the percentage of patients with tumors that have met our pre-specified progression endpoints
Time to tumor progression (Progression-free survival)range of time from enrollment to progression (undefined, between 3 months and 5 years post-enrollment) or end of follow-up (5 years post-enrollment)Defined as the time from the date of enrollment to the date where an individual experienced tumor progression or censoring due to lost to follow-up or the end of follow-up period
Patient and tumor characteristics in correlation with cancer-specific deathat the baseline visit (no more than 30 days after signed consent)Defined as demographic (i.e. age, sex, comorbidities, medical history, etc) and tumor characteristics (i.e. tumor size, tumor complexity, etc) associated with kidney cancer deaths
Patient and tumor characteristics in correlation with disease progressionat the baseline visit (no more than 30 days after signed consent)Defined as demographic (i.e. age, sex, comorbidities, medical history, etc) and tumor characteristics (i.e. tumor size, tumor complexity, etc) associated with disease progression.
Perceived health change over timerange of time from enrollment to end of follow-up (maximum 5 years post-enrollment)Defined as the change in EQ5D-5L scores over time (enrollment to censoring due to lost of follow-up or the end of follow-up period).
Quality of life change over timerange of time from enrollment to end of follow-up (maximum 5 years post-enrollment)Defined as the change in short form health survey (SF-12) scores over time (enrollment to censoring due to lost of follow-up or the end of follow-up period).
Anxiety change over timerange of time from enrollment to end of follow-up (maximum 5 years post-enrollment)Defined as the change in Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores over time (enrollment to censoring due to lost of follow-up or the end of follow-up period).
Health costrange of time from enrollment to end of follow-up (maximum 5 years post-enrollment)Defined as the total direct (patients) and indirect (healthcare system) cost associated with the management of a complex cyst according to each treatment strategy (active surveillance and surgery).

Countries

Canada, France

Contacts

CONTACTAmelie Tetu
amelie.tetu.ciussse-chus@ssss.gouv.qc.ca819-346-1110
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORPatrick O Richard, MD,MSc,FRCSC

Université de Sherbrooke

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jun 2, 2026