Interleukin-2 immunotherapy followed by resection of residual renal cell carcinoma.
We administered 10 (E5) units per kg. interleukin-2, 3 times daily, with or without lymphokine-activated killer cells, to 10 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. All patients had metastases to the lung, and 3 of 5 patients who had previously undergone nephrectomy had metastases to the renal fossa. Of the 9 patients who completed at least 1 course of therapy 3 had complete regression of disease outside the abdomen, including 2 who were rendered disease-free after subsequent cytoreductive surgery (nephrectomy in 1 and resection of the renal fossa recurrence in 1). Viable tumor comprised less than 1% of each surgical specimen. Our results support the view that initial treatment with interleukin-2 immunotherapy, followed by abdominal cytoreductive surgery if the peripheral metastases have regressed, may be preferable to the practice of performing abdominal cytoreductive surgery before administering interleukin-2 immunotherapy for patients with widely metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
Fleischmann
J D
JD
Division of Urology, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
Kim
B
B
D000328:Adult; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D015979:Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated / Q000637:transplantation*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009392:Nephrectomy
D007376:Interleukin-2