For many years, the remarkable antitumor effects of IFN-α observed in patients with some hematological malignancies (especially hairy cell leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia) as well as with certain solid tumors, including melanoma and renal cancer, contributed in maintaining a high interest of the scientific community as well as of patients and media on the clinical use of this cytokine in cancer. The gene discussed is IFNA1; the disease is renal carcinoma.