title: Prognostic factors associated with the response to sunitinib in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the prognostic clinicopathologic factors associated with overall survival (os) and progression-free survival (pfs) in the once-daily continuous administration of first-line sunitinib in a consecutive cohort of Turkish patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (rcc).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study enrolled 77 Turkish patients with metastatic rcc who received sunitinib in a continuous once-daily dosing regimen between April 2006 and April 2011. Univariate analyses were performed using the log-rank test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median follow-up was 18.5 months. In univariate analyses, poor pfs and os were associated with 4 of the 5 factors in the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (mskcc) score: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 2 or higher, low hemoglobin, high corrected serum calcium, and high lactate dehydrogenase. In addition to those factors, hypoalbuminemia, more than 2 metastatic sites, liver metastasis, non-clear cell histology, and the presence of sarcomatoid features on pathology were also associated with poor pfs; and male sex, hypoalbuminemia, prior radiotherapy, more than 2 metastatic sites, lung metastasis, nuclear grade of 3 or 4 for the primary tumour, and the presence of sarcomatoid features were also associated with poorer os. The application of the mskcc model distinctly separated the pfs and os curves (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study identified prognostic factors for pfs and os with the use sunitinib as first-line metastatic rcc therapy and confirmed that the mskcc model still appears to be valid for predicting survival in metastatic rcc in the era of molecular targeted therapy.
authors: Department of Medical Oncology, Institute of Oncology, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Yildiz
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Sen
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Kilic
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Ekenel
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Ordu
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Kilicaslan
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Darendeliler
authors: H M
authors: HM
authors: Tunc
authors: U
authors: U
authors: Varol
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Bavbek
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Basaran
keywords: Metastatic renal cell carcinoma; first-line therapy; prognostic factors; sarcomatoid features; vascular endothelial growth factor; vegf antagonist