Background The treatment strategy for pancreatic metastasis (PM) from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is unclear due to its rarity. The aim of this study was to reveal the role of surgery for PM from RCC. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed and the Cochrane Library. The effectiveness of surgery for PM was evaluated based on the primary outcome of overall survival (OS), which was investigated in relation to surgical procedures and metastatic sites via subgroup analyses. Results There was no significant difference in the rate of 2-year OS between the surgery and control group (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.14–1.26, P  = 0.12). However, the rate of 5-year OS was significantly higher in the surgery group than the control group (OR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.18–0.93, P  = 0.03). The rates of the complications and OS were not significantly different between radical and conservative pancreatectomies. The rate of 5-year OS of the patients with PM was higher than that with other metastases (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.20–0.74, P  = 0.004). Conclusion Surgical resection for PM from RCC is associated with good prognosis. Limited surgery may be a useful option depending on the location of the lesion.