Prognostic factors of metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has unpredictable behaviour. Metastases can appear many years after treatment of the primary tumor. Metastases can develop rapidly from a small low grade renal carcinoma. For metastatic RCC a multimodal therapeutical approach is necessary. In order to define prognostic factors in metastatic renal cell carcinoma we reviewed our series of 70 RCC patients with metastases at diagnosis submitted to a multimodal therapy. 62 patients were submitted to surgery. After nephrectomy 48 of 62 patients underwent interferon- or interleukine-based immunotherapy. At the univariate analysis performance status, tumor grade, local pathological stage, node status and immunotherapy (yes or no) correlate with survival in nephrectomized patients. At the multivariate analysis performance status and tumor grade show a statistically significant correlation with survival. No correlation was found either with surgery of the metastases nor with number and site of the metastases.