Figure 4

Stage adjusted disease specific survival rate according to MDR-1 expression and therapy in patient affected by RCC in early stage (stage I). The group of patients with high MDR-1 expression without adjuvant therapy showed poor survival (p < 0.05). This finding outlines a) the role of occult metastases at the time of diagnosis and b) confirms a possible role of MDR-1 as prognostic factor independent of multidrug resistance.