title: Adjuvant immunotherapy in renal cell carcinoma--comparison of interferon alpha treatment with an untreated control.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Adjuvant immunotherapy of RCC with interferon alpha is still controversial. It was the aim of this study to investigate, whether a selected group of patients with a non-metastatic RCC can profit from this therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survival data of 125 patients with a non-metastatic RCC, who underwent a tumor-nephrectomy were analyzed retrospectively, 33 of these patients received an adjuvant immunotherapy with interferon alpha for 1 year. All tumors were classified by the TNM-system. Statistical evaluation was performed by the Kaplan-Meier-Method and the logrank-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tumor stage was seen to be an important prognostic factor in RCC with a significantly better outcome in pT2- as compared to pT3-tumors. Tumor grading was without any prognostic relevance. Adjuvant interferon alpha therapy had no effect on overall survival. After separation of the patients into pT2- and pT3/4-tumors again interferon alpha showed no significant benefit for one of the 2 groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The adjuvant therapy with interferon alpha shows no significant benefit in the treatment of non-metastatic RCC. Tumor stage is no suitable factor to select a group of patients, who might profit from an interferon alpha therapy. Further studies are necessary to isolate better selection factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Kreiskrankenhaus Alt-/Neuötting, Altötting, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Basting
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Corvin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Händel
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hinke
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D009392:Nephrectomy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha