OBJECTIVES: To establish a symptom score and to test its prognostic value in comparison with the usual histological prognostic criteria.MATERIAL AND METHODS: 388 renal tumours were classified into three symptomatic grades according to the circumstances of discovery: S1: incidental discovery, S2; patient presenting with haematuria or low back pain, S3: patient presenting with alteration of general state or symptomatic metastasis. The following prognostic criteria were studied: age, gender, tumour volume, symptom score, ECOG (0 vs 1 or more), stage (TNM 1997), Fuhrman grade, venous and adrenal invasion. Survival rates were compared by the Kaplan-Meier method (Log rank test). Multivariate analysis was performed according to the Cox model.RESULTS: Tumours were classified as T1, T2, T3, T4 in 140 (36.1%), 73 (18.80%), 162 (41.8%) and 13 (3.4%) cases, respectively. 31 tumours were graded as G1 (8%), 167 as G2 (43%), 152 as G3 (39.2%) and 38 as G4 (9.8%), 143 tumours were classified as S1 (36.9%), 159 as S2 (41%) and 86 as S3 (22.10%). 45 patients were N+ (11.6%) and 54 were M+ (13.9%), The mean follow-up was 73 months. The significant parameters on univariate analysis were: ECOG, symptom score, TNM stage, grade, venous and adrenal invasion and tumour volume (p < 0.001), while symptom score, TNM stage and Fuhrman grade were significant on multivariate analysis (p < 0.001).CONCLUSION: The symptom score is an independent prognostic factor in the same way as tumour stage and grade. This score could be used in a mathematical algorithm predictive of survival of patients with renal cancer.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell Female