Randomized trials have shown that both anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy and inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin have superior clinical efficacy when compared with interferon alpha in the first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. In 2007, a pivotal phase III trial randomly allocated 750 patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma to receive either the VEGF-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib or interferon alpha, and showed that sunitinib led to improved response rates, progression-free and overall survival. In this Practice Point, we discuss the data reported by Cella et al., which showed that the quality of life of patients in this trial was better with sunitinib than interferon alpha; these differences were predominantly due to better control of disease-related symptoms by sunitinib. This landmark study is the first to report comparative quality-of-life data for an anti-VEGF therapy and a cytokine therapy.