2.1 Patients
The study population comprised 108 Caucasian patients with confirmed
mRCC and aged 18 years old or older being treated with anti-angiogenic
therapy from January 2008 to May 2019 at Hacettepe University Cancer
Institute (Ankara, Turkey). The baseline demographic, clinical, and
laboratory data which were previously documented to have prognostic
value were obtained from our center’s electronic database [4].
Patients only with histologically proven mRCC and good performance
statues (Karnofsky performance status ≥80) were included in this study.
Patients who lost to follow-up and with no abdominal CT scan data at
either before treatment initiation or after 3–4 months of targeted VEGF
therapy were excluded from the study. The study approved by the local
ethics committee and written informed consent were obtained from all of
the research participants or their relatives. All procedures in the
study were performed in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki declaration
and its later amendments.