Development and validation of novel nomogram to identify the candidates for extended pelvic lymph node dissection for prostate cancer patients in the robotic era.

OBJECTIVES: To determine candidates for extended pelvic lymph node dissection using a novel nomogram to assess the risk of lymph node invasion in Japanese prostate cancer patients in the robotic era. METHODS: A total of 538 patients who underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy with extended pelvic lymph node dissection in three hospitals were retrospectively analyzed. Medical records were reviewed uniformly and the following data collected: prostate-specific antigen, age, clinical T stage, primary and secondary Gleason score at prostate biopsy, and percentage of positive core numbers. Finally, data from 434 patients were used for developing the nomogram and data from 104 patients were used for external validation. RESULTS: Lymph node invasion was detected in 47 (11%) and 16 (15%) patients in the development and validation set, respectively. Based on multivariate analysis, prostate-specific antigen, clinical T stage ≥3, primary Gleason score, grade group 5, and percentage of positive cores were selected as variables to incorporate into the nomogram. The area under the curve values were 0.781 for the internal and 0.908 for the external validation, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The present nomogram can help urologists identify candidates for extended pelvic lymph node dissection concomitant with robot-assisted radical prostatectomy among patients with prostate cancer.

Prognostic factors influencing overall survival in de novo oligometastatic prostate cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Oligometastatic cancer has been suggested as an intermediate state between localized disease and wide-ranging metastases. The clinical significance of local treatment in oligometastatic prostate cancer (PCa) has been a recent topic of interest. However, standard definitions of oligometastasis are lacking. Here we studied risk factors among Japanese de novo oligometastatic patients with PCa. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed clinical data from 264 patients, including locally advanced (T3 or T4N0M0) cancer, lymph-node-positive cancer (Tany N1M0), and cancer with ≤10 bone metastases. All patients received androgen deprivation therapy only. The number of bone metastases and clinical factors were evaluated in association with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The Mann-Whitney U test, Cox proportional hazard models, and Kaplan-Meier methods were used as statistical analyses. RESULTS: Median age, PSA at baseline and OS were 74 years, 55.2 ng/mL, and 129.0 months, respectively. The cutoff for the number of bone metastases having the greatest impact on OS was ≥3 (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.67; P = .0001). In multivariate analysis, non-regional lymph node (LN) metastases (HR: 2.15; P = .0222), ISUP grade group (GG) 5 (HR: 2.04; P = .0186) and ≥3 bone metastases (HR: 1.82; P = .0390) were independent predictors of OS. In risk classification based on these factors, OS and PFS were significantly classifiable into poor (2-3 factors), intermediate (1 factor), and good (no factors) risk groups (P < .0001). CONCLUSION: Not only the number of bone metastases, but also non-regional LN metastases predict OS in patients with de novo oligometastatic PCa.

Prognostic factors and survival in Japanese patients with brain metastasis from renal cell cancer.

BACKGROUND: Patients with brain metastasis from renal cell carcinoma have poor outcomes despite recent advances in diagnosis and treatment. Moreover, factors affecting such poor outcomes are unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic factors associated with overall survival in renal cell carcinoma patients with brain metastasis. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 50 consecutive patients with brain metastasis from renal cell carcinoma at our institution between 1988 and 2017. The evaluated prognostic factors for overall survival included clinicopathological factors at diagnosis, treatment for brain metastasis, and the Graded Prognostic Assessment score of renal cell carcinoma. The associations between preoperative clinicopathological factors and overall survival were assessed using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards models for univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively. RESULTS: Forty-five patients were included, among whom 39 died during follow-up. The median follow-up was 8.2 months. The median survival time was 8.2 months (95% confidence interval 5.5-13.7). A Graded Prognostic Assessment score ≤ 2 (hazard ratio 1.967; 95% confidence interval 1.024-3.892; P = 0.042), the presence of sarcomatoid components (hazard ratio 3.299; 95% confidence interval 1.424-7.193; P = 0.007), and no treatment for brain metastasis (hazard ratio 2.594; 95% confidence interval 1.033-5.858; P = 0.043) were independently associated with poor prognosis in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with renal cell carcinoma who develop brain metastasis have poor overall survival. The Graded Prognostic Assessment score, sarcomatoid components, and treatment for brain metastasis from renal cell carcinoma were independent factors associated with prognosis.

Factors predicting biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy among patients with clinical T3 prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of cancer control is unclear after radical prostatectomy for patients with clinical T3 prostate cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 1409 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy between April 2007 and December 2014, including 210 patients with cT3 prostate cancer. Nine patients who received neoadjuvant hormonal therapy and three patients who were lost to follow-up were excluded from the analysis. Clinical staging was performed by an experienced radiologist using preoperative magnetic resonance imaging findings. We analyzed the predictors of biochemical recurrence using Cox proportional hazard analyses. RESULTS: A total of 113 patients (57%) underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy and 85 patients (43%) underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. The median follow-up period was 36 months. Downstaging occurred for 60 patients (30%), positive surgical margins were identified in 117 patients (59%), and biochemical recurrence was observed for 89 patients (45%). In the multivariate analyses, the independent preoperative predictors of biochemical recurrence were ≥50% proportion of positive biopsy cores [hazard ratio (HR): 2.858, P < 0.0001] and a biopsy Gleason score of ≥8 (HR: 1.800, P = 0.0093). The independent post-operative predictors of biochemical recurrence were positive surgical margins (HR: 2.490, P = 0.0018) and seminal vesicle invasion (HR: 2.750, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with cT3 prostate cancer, the percentage of positive biopsy cores and the biopsy Gleason score should be considered to select treatment. Compared with radical retropubic prostatectomy, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy may be a feasible treatment option in this setting.

Comparison of the diagnostic efficacy and perioperative outcomes of limited versus extended pelvic lymphadenectomy during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: a multi-institutional retrospective study in Japan.

BACKGROUND: We conducted a retrospective study to compare the perioperative course and lymph node (LN) counts of patients undergoing limited pelvic lymphadenectomy (lPLND) or extended pelvic lymphadenectomy (ePLND) during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy in an initial Japanese series. METHODS: The cohort included 1333 patients who underwent either lPLND (n = 902) or ePLND (n = 431) during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy at five institutions in Japan. All complications within 28 days of surgery were recorded, and clinical data were collected retrospectively. The outcomes and complications were compared relative to the extent of lymphadenectomy, and we conducted univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to assess the predictors of the major complications. RESULTS: On multivariate analysis for evaluating the associations between major complications and perioperative characteristics, console time (p = 0.001) was significantly associated with major complications, although the extent of lymphadenectomy (p = 0.272) was not significantly associated with major complications. In the distribution of positive LNs removed in the extended pelvic lymphadenectomy cohort, 60.4% of patients had positive LNs only in the obturator/internal iliac region. However, 22.6% of the patients with positive LNs had no positive LNs in the obturator/internal iliac region, but only in the external/common iliac region. CONCLUSIONS: ePLND, which significantly increased the console time and blood loss but nearly quadrupled the lymph node yield, is considered a relatively safe and acceptable procedure. Moreover, the results of this study suggest that ePLND improves staging and removes a greater number of metastatic nodes.

Prognostic role of the preoperative serum albumin : globulin ratio after radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: To elucidate the effects of the preoperative albumin : globulin ratio on the survival of patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma after radical nephroureterectomy. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 124 consecutive patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma who underwent radical nephroureterectomy at Chiba Cancer Center, Chiba, Japan between 2002 and 2015. The albumin : globulin ratio was defined: albumin / (total protein - albumin). Associations between preoperative clinicopathological factors, including the albumin : globulin ratio, and recurrence-free survival, cancer-specific survival and overall survival were assessed. The log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards models were used for univariate and multivariable analyses, respectively. The study cohort was separated into two groups based on the optimal albumin : globulin ratio cut-off value determined using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: The median survival time was 55 months (interquartile range 28-76 months), and 31 patients died during follow up. A low preoperative albumin : globulin ratio <1.40 was associated with tumor grade and surgical margin status. Kaplan-Meier analyses showed that a low albumin : globulin ratio was more significantly correlated with worse recurrence-free survival, cancer-specific survival and overall survival. Multivariate analyses showed that a low albumin : globulin ratio was an independent predictive factor associated with poor recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio 3.758; P = 0.0028), cancer-specific survival (hazard ratio 5.687; P = 0.0044) and overall survival (hazard ratio 3.124; P = 0.0030). CONCLUSIONS: A low albumin : globulin ratio is an independent predictive factor associated with poor prognosis in upper tract urothelial carcinoma patients treated with radical nephroureterectomy.

Prospective evaluation of the safety of transrectal ultrasound-guided transperineal prostate biopsy based on adverse events.

BACKGROUND: Although transperineal (TP) prostate biopsy is growing in popularity, its safety has not been evaluated based on extensive studies. We prospectively assessed the adverse events associated with transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided TP 16-core prostate biopsy at a single institution. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We enrolled 2,086 males who underwent first-time TRUS-guided TP prostate biopsy under lumbar spinal anesthesia at Chiba Cancer Center between 2009 and 2013. Eight adverse events were assessed prospectively using a purpose-designed questionnaire. The prevalence and duration of all adverse events were evaluated. We performed subgroup analyses for hematuria and urinary retention in relation to clinical factors. RESULTS: Questionnaires were collected from 1,663 cases (79.7 %). The cancer detection rate was 53.5 % in all patients. The prevalence and duration of complications were as follows: hematuria, 73.4 % and 4.51 ± 2.88 days; perineal bleeding, 7.1 % and 2.20 ± 2.24 days; hematospermia 14.4 %; dysuria, 15.7 % and 3.12 ± 2.71 days; urinary tract pain, 49.5 % and 2.43 ± 2.08 days; perineal pain, 35.5 % and 3.53 ± 2.59 days; fever ≥37 °C, 1.7 % and 1.79 ± 1.72 days; and headache, 22.1 % and 3.40 ± 2.10 days. Seventeen patients (1.1 %) required indwelling urethral catheterization for grade 2 urinary retention. Pre-biopsy International Prostate Symptom Score (p = 0.014) was an independent related factor for hematuria. Prostate volume (p = 0.001) was an independent related factor for grade 2 urinary retention. CONCLUSIONS: TRUS-guided TP prostate biopsy under lumbar spinal anesthesia can be performed safely with only minor adverse events.

Therapeutic outcomes of neoadjuvant and concurrent androgen-deprivation therapy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy with gold marker implantation for intermediate-risk and high-risk prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the therapeutic outcomes of neoadjuvant and concurrent androgen-deprivation therapy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy with gold marker implantation for intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 325 patients with intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines who underwent androgen-deprivation therapy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (76 Gy) after gold marker implantation between 2001 and 2010. RESULTS: The 5-year distant metastasis-free survival rate was significantly lower for very high-risk patients than for intermediate- and high-risk patients (82.6% vs 99.4% and 96.5%, respectively; P < 0.01). The 5-year biochemical relapse-free survival rates significantly declined with increasing prostate cancer risk (P < 0.01), and were 95.9%, 87.2%, and 73.1% for the intermediate-risk, high-risk and very high-risk patients, respectively. Acute genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicity grade ≥3 were not observed in any of the patients. Late grade 3 genitourinary toxicity occurred in 0.3% of patients. CONCLUSION: Combination androgen-deprivation therapy and 76-Gy intensity-modulated radiation therapy with gold marker implantation offers good therapeutic outcomes with few serious complications in patients with intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer.

Efficacy of traditional and alternative sunitinib treatment schedules in Japanese patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

We report the adverse events and efficacy of traditional (4 weeks on 2 weeks off) and alternative sunitinib treatment schedules for Japanese patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. We retrospectively investigated 54 patients who received sunitinib for metastatic renal cell carcinoma between May 2006 and June 2012: 32 received a traditional treatment schedule and 22 received an alternative schedule. According to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center risk classification, five patients had favorable prognoses, 42 had intermediate prognoses and seven had poor prognoses. The mean observation periods were 16.3 and 20 months for the traditional and alternative schedule groups, respectively. Adverse events were significantly less common in the alternative schedule group, including most high-grade events. In the traditional and alternative schedule groups, median times to failure were 4.1 and 11.6 months (P = 0.040), median progression-free survival times were 4.1 and 11.3 months (P = 0.031), and median overall survival times were 12.0 and 32.1 months (P = 0.018), respectively. Each of these measures was better in the group of patients who received an alternative treatment schedule, suggesting that individualized changes to the sunitinib administration schedule can be effective.

[Neoadjuvant hormonal therapy versus surgery alone for radical prostatectomy in high-risk prostate cancer patients].

We examined the effect of neoadjuvant hormonal therapy (NHT) on biochemical failure. We retrospectively analyzed 146 high-risk prostate cancer patients (clinically (c), T1c-3N0M0) who underwent radical prostatectomy between June 2002 and March 2008. Thirty-eight patients were treated with NHT for ≥2 months (NHT group), and 108, with surgery alone (SA group). The study population comprised 89 cT1c-2N0M0 patients and 57 cT3N0M0 patients, and pathologically (p), 66 pT0-2N0M0 patients and 76 pT3N0M0 patients. Downstaging was noted in 36.4 and 0% of cT1c-2N0M0 patients and in 74.1 and 20.0% of cT3N0M0 patients in the NHT and SA groups, respectively. For both cT1c-2N0M0 and cT3N0M0 patients, the downstaging rate was significantly higher in the NHT group than in the SA group (p＜0.01). Positive resection margin rates were significantly lower in the NHT group (34.2%) than in the SA group (65.7%) (p＜0.01). The overall prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression-free rate did not differ significantly between the 2 groups in both pT0-2N0M0 and pT3N0M0 patients. However, in pT0-2N0M0 patients with negative resection margins, the 5-year PSA progression-free rate was significantly lower in the NHT group than in the SA group (p＜0.01), whereas this rate did not differ significantly between the groups in both pT0-2N0M0 and pT3N0M0 patients with positive resection margins. Although NHT seemed to have some effect on downstaging, its pathological effects could be underestimated. Thus, NHT was considered to have no significant effect on biochemical failure.

[Treatable and untreatable forms of recurrent prostate cancer].

The incidence of prostate cancer in the Japanese population has increased because of the increase in life expectancy, consumption of westernized diets, and improvements in prostate cancer screening by using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA)test. Further, in the past 10 years, there have been great advancements in the treatment options available for prostate cancer. Radical treatment methods, such as robot-assisted surgery, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, and particle beam radiation therapy, may have anticancer effects and may improve the quality of life by preserving micturition ability and sexual function. Radiotherapy and endocrine therapy have been shown to prevent postoperative recurrence. Endocrine therapy has been demonstrated to be effective in preventing recurrence after radiotherapy. Moreover, endocrine therapy can be administered to patients at all stages of prostate cancer and is often used as the initial treatment for advanced prostate cancer, particularly in patients with metastasis. However, recurrence(relapse)after endocrine therapy is associated with a poor prognosis. In this study, we describe all the available treatment options for prostate cancer and the treatable and untreatable forms of recurrent prostate cancer.

Sustained and NK/CD4+ T cell-dependent efficient prevention of lung metastasis induced by dendritic cells harboring recombinant Sendai virus.

We recently demonstrated efficient antitumor immunity against murine tumors using dendritic cells (DCs) activated by recombinant Sendai viruses (rSeVs), and proposed a new concept, "immunostimulatory virotherapy," for cancer immunotherapy. However, there has been little information on the efficacy of this method in preventing metastatic diseases. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of vaccinating DCs activated by fusion gene-deleted nontransmissible rSeV (rSeV/dF) using a murine model of lung metastasis. Bolus and i.v. administration of DCs harboring rSeV/dF-expressing GFP without pulsation of tumor Ag (DC-rSeV/dF-GFP) 2 days before tumor inoculation showed efficient prevention against lung metastasis of c1300 neuroblastoma, but not of RM-9 prostatic cancer. We found that the timing of DC therapy was critical for the inhibition of pulmonary metastasis of RM-9, and that the optimal effect of DCs was seen 28 days before tumor inoculation. Interestingly, the antimetastatic effect was sustained for over 3 mo, even when administered DCs were already cleared from the lung and organs related to the immune system. Although NK cell activity had already declined to baseline at the time of tumor inoculation, Ab-mediated depletion studies revealed that CD4+ cells as well as the presence of, but not the activation of, NK cells were crucial to the prevention of lung metastasis. These results are the first demonstration of efficient inhibition of lung metastasis via bolus administration of virally activated DCs that was sustained and NK/CD4+ cell-dependent, and may suggest a potentially new mechanism of DC-based immunotherapy for advanced malignancies.

External validation of a pre-operative prognostic nomogram for renal cell carcinoma in two patient populations: a retrospective cohort study.

The aim of this study was to establish the discriminating accuracy of Kanao's pre-operative nomogram for renal cell carcinoma in predicting cause-specific survival among representative patients who underwent nephrectomy. Patients originated from two centers: Chiba University Hospital (n= 151) and Chiba Cancer Center (n = 91). We validated the predictive accuracy, which was assessed using Harrell's concordance-index. The concordance-index values were 0.692 and 0.834 for Chiba University Hospital and Chiba Cancer Center, respectively, although it was 0.822 for the combined data sets. Results of external validation were different at each cohort. We constructed calibration plots of Kanao's nomogram and confirmed the tendency at each institution. Inconsistency of results among two centers makes it difficult to reach a valid conclusion. Therefore, the predictive accuracy of Kanao's nomogram was not settled. Clinicians need to confirm the predictive accuracy of Kanao's nomogram and construct calibration plots when applying this nomogram to different patient populations.

Prognostic models for renal cell carcinoma recurrence: external validation in a Japanese population.

The aim of the present study was to compare the accuracy of three prognostic models in predicting recurrence-free survival among Japanese patients who underwent nephrectomy for non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Patients originated from two centers: Chiba University Hospital (n = 152) and Chiba Cancer Center (n = 65). The following data were collected: age, sex, clinical presentation, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, surgical technique, 1997 tumor-node-metastasis stage, clinical and pathological tumor size, histological subtype, disease recurrence, and progression. Three western models, including Yaycioglu's model, Cindolo's model and Kattan's nomogram, were used to predict recurrence-free survival. Predictive accuracy of these models were validated by using Harrell's concordance-index. Concordance-indexes were 0.795 and 0.745 for Kattan's nomogram, 0.700 and 0.634 for Yaycioglu's model, and 0.700 and 0.634 for Cindolo's model, respectively. Furthermore, the constructed calibration plots of Kattan's nomogram overestimated the predicted probability of recurrence-free survival after 5 years compared with the actual probability. Our findings suggest that despite working better than other predictive tools, Kattan's nomogram needs be used with caution when applied to Japanese patients who have undergone nephrectomy for non-metastatic RCC.

[CLINICAL STUDY OF OPEN RADICAL CYSTECTOMY AND ILEAL CONDUIT CONSTRUCTION FOR BLADDER CANCER: RESULTS OF 15-YEAR SINGLE CENTER EXPERIENCE].

(Objective) We retrospectively analyzed clinical outcome, prognostic factors and adjuvant chemotherapy for bladder cancer patients with open radical cystectomy (ORC) combined with ileal conduit construction (ICC). (Patients and methods) From February 2005 to February 2019, 179 patients underwent ORC and ICC for invasive bladder cancer or BCG unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. We investigated intraoperative and early postoperative complications, overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and poor prognostic factors affecting OS. Furthermore, we evaluated the prognosis of patients with pT3,4 or pN1-3 depending on adjuvant chemotherapy. (Results) Clavien-Dindo Grade 4 or 5 complications were not occurred. The 5-year and 10-year OS probability were 71.1% and 57.4%, respectively, while the 5-year and 10-year CSS probability were 76.5% and 71.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that male (HR = 2.70, 95%CI [0.97-7.51]), pT3,4 (HR = 1.83, 95%CI [1.05-3.21]), and pN1-3 (HR = 2.85, 95%CI [1.62-5.03]) were independent poor prognostic factors. Adjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved OS (p = 0.03) and CSS (p = 0.017) in pN1-3 patients. (Conclusion) ORC combined with ICC was an effective operative method, and good results were obtained. Adjuvant chemotherapy may be effective for patients with positive regional lymph nodes.

Implications of body mass index in Japanese patients with prostate cancer who had undergone radical prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between obesity and prostate cancer in Japanese recurrence after primary treatment with radical prostatectomy. METHODS: The subjects were 173 Japanese patients with prostate cancer who had been treated with radical prostatectomy at Chiba University Hospital between April 1997 and March 2007. Clinicopathological characteristics and biochemical recurrence outcomes after radical prostatectomy were compared between the three body mass index cohorts. RESULTS: Mean body mass index was 23.4 kg/m(2) with a standard deviation of 2.4, and mean follow-up period was 37.4 months. Operative time was longer and estimated blood loss was much more in obese patients. Patients with pT3>or= had significantly higher serum prostate-specific antigen, total cholesterol levels, Gleason's sum and positive of surgical margin than pT2 patients. Recurrence rate was significantly higher in the 26.5 kg/m(2) and hyperlipidemia groups in pT3>or= patients. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is an independent predictor of disease recurrence in Japanese patients with pT3>or= prostate cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy. Obese patients who underwent radical prostatectomy require vigilant follow-up care.

Treatment outcomes of sorafenib for first line or cytokinerefractory advanced renal cell carcinoma in Japanese patients.

The objective of the present study was to document the treatment efficacy and safety of sorafenib in Japanese patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). A retrospective analysis of 50 consecutive patients with metastatic RCC between January 2005 and December 2009 was carried out. Patients received sorafenib after failed cytokine therapy or first-line sorafenib treatment. All received 400 mg of sorafenib orally twice daily. Five of 14 patients with bone metastases were also given bisphosphonates. Tumor response was evaluated every 1-2 months according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Adverse events (AE) were evaluated at each visit during and after treatment, and were recorded according to the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3.0. Dose modification of sorafenib was permitted if grade 3 or 4 AE occurred. Treatment continued until disease progression or treatment intolerance occurred. Partial response, and stable disease as best objective responses were observed in 11 (22%) and 23 (46%) patients, respectively. Median progression-free survival was 7.3 months and median overall survival was 11.9 months. All patients experienced AE and one or more grade 3/4 AE occurred in 43 of 50 (86%) patients. Although it requires close monitoring, sorafenib treatment seemed to be effective in the present study population.

Interferon treatment for Japanese patients with favorable-risk metastatic renal cell carcinoma in the era of targeted therapy.

PURPOSE: Single-agent interferon (IFN) is no longer regarded as a standard option for first-line systemic treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in Western countries. However, some patients with favorable-risk RCC may still achieve complete and long-lasting remission in response to IFN treatment. The present study compared favorable-risk Japanese patients with metastatic RCC Japanese patients who had been treated with IFN or tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy as a first-line systemic therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1995 to 2014, a total of 48 patients with favorable risk as defined by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center criteria who did not receive adjuvant systemic therapy were retrospectively enrolled in this study. We assessed the tumor response rate, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: The objective response rate for first-line therapy was 29% in the IFN group and 47% in the TKI group, but this difference did not reach the level of statistical significance. Median OS for IFN and TKI was 71 and 47 months, respectively (p=0.014). Median first-line PFS for IFN and TKI was 20 and 16 months, respectively (no significant difference). First-line IFN therapy did not prove inferior to TKI therapy in terms of OS according to metastatic sites. CONCLUSIONS: IFN is associated with a survival benefit in Japanese patients with favorable-risk metastatic RCC in the era of targeted therapy. Further prospective study is needed.