Prognostic factors of survival and rapid progression in 782 patients with metastatic renal carcinomas treated by cytokines: a report from the Groupe Français d’Immunothérapie

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) or/and interferon (IFN) are routinely used for treating patients with metastatic renal cell cancer. However, results have been disappointing, with a majority of treatment failure. Over 6 years, the Groupe Francais d’Immunotherapie enrolled 782 patients in successive multicenter trials using cytokine regimens. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed on this large prospective database to identify prognostic factors for survival. The presence of biological signs of inflammation, short time interval from renal tumor to metastases ( 80% probability of rapid progression despite treatment. We think that these results must be taken into account when making the decision to treat with cytokine.