title: Relapse after response to interleukin-2-based immunotherapy: patterns of progression and response to retreatment.
abstract: The initial site of disease relapse was identified for 79 patients with metastatic renal cell cancer (RCC), melanoma, colon cancer, or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), who had achieved partial or complete responses to one of five IL-2-based immunotherapy regimens. The initial site of relapse was evenly distributed between pre-existing sites of disease (33%), new sites of disease (38%), or both (29%). There was no difference in the distribution of recurrences between patients with partial or complete responses. Fifty-one patients with prior complete or partial responses were retreated with additional IL-2-based therapy following tumor progression. Five of 51 patients retreated following relapse developed new partial responses. There were no complete responses. Three patients with NHL were retreated with IL-2 and LAK cells and all achieved a second response, while only 2 of 48 patients with other histologic diagnoses reresponded. It is concluded that after a partial or complete response to IL-2-based immunotherapy, patients who relapse do so equally at new and pre-existing sites of disease. A response to retreatment following tumor progression may be attained in patients with NHL, while a new response is unlikely for patients with melanoma and RCC.
authors.affiliation: Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Sherry
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015979:Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated / Q000276:immunology; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / Q000276:immunology; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D007376:Interleukin-2; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha