Advanced or metastatic renal cell-carcinoma (RCC) is associated with poor health outcomes; in particular in those whose disease progressed after first line treatment. A literature review was conducted to elucidate evidence on health-related utility associated with advanced and metastatic RCC.

A systematic literature search from 2006 onwards (date of search: July 2016) was conducted for studies evaluating health-related quality of life (QoL) and utility outcomes. Searches included Medline, Embase, National Health Service (NHS) Economic Evaluation Database and HTA Database and were supplemented by free internet search for key European Health Technology Assessment reports. Publications were limited to 2006 onwards as previous research (1) revealed no prior relevant evidence.

The search yielded 4,178 records. The selection process revealed seventy-eight relevant publications. Generic EuroQol (EQ)-5D scale was most commonly used. Health-state utilities were assessed for specific treatments and at different time points. Mean reported value for patients after failure of one prior systemic therapy ranged from .79 - .62. For patients without progression (on and off-treatment) reported utility values were in range from .80 – .63. Utility in stable patients with adverse events ranged from .71 - .47. For patients with progressive diseases, utility was reported from .71 - .36. Utility for interventions due to skeletal-related events in patients with bone metastasis was reported to range between .46 and .15.

Identified evidence confirms advanced or metastatic RCC leads to significant detriment to patients health-related utility. Further research efforts are warranted to assess health-state utility beyond clinical trial assessment.