Factors affecting outcome in renal cell carcinoma

Purpose of review To review the latest status on prognostic factors in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Recent findings Many predictive and prognostic factors can help differentiate between favorable and unfavorable RCC phenotypes. There currently exist several clinical and/or pathological, and biological factors, which have been exclusively tested and used in predictive and prognostic models. Nonetheless, the search for highly informative and reliable factors of disease characteristics and progression continues. Conclusion Over the last decade, an increase occurred in the number of models that can predict the treated natural history of RCC. Many of these novel models and previously developed models are tested in a head-to-head fashion, with the intent of identifying the most accurate and valuable tools for clinical practice. Novel prognostic factors and more upto-date models are urgently needed for patients with metastatic RCC, especially in the era of targeted therapies. This should represent the focus of contemporary prognostic modeling in RCC.