Immunotherapy with intralesional and systemic interleukin-2 of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
Eight patients affected by non-small-cell lung cancer were treated with intralesional and systemic recombinant IL-2 (rIL-2) injection with the aim of activating both tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes and circulating cytotoxic or killer cells. The schedule of treatment was as follows: a daily fine-needle transparietal intralesional rIL-2 injection (1 x 10(5) Cetus units) from day 1 to day 5 and systemic rIL-2 infusion (1 x 10(5) Cetus units kg-1 day-1) from day 6 to day 10. One to four cycles of treatment were received by each patient. Clinical and immunological evaluations were performed (a) before treatment, (b) following the intralesional rIL-2 administration, (c) 1 h after the beginning of rIL-2 infusion and (d) at the end of the systemic rIL-2 infusion. No complete remission was achieved, two patients showed a partial remission, three resulted in stable disease and three patients progressed. Natural killer and lymphokine-activated killer cell activity dramatically decreased 1 h after the beginning of rIL-2 infusion and increased at the end of treatment. A progressive increase of circulating CD8+ and HLA class II+ T cells as well as of CD8+ T cell clones, most of which displayed NK activity, was recorded following rIL-2 infusion. Present data indicate that (a) the local administration of rIL-2 coupled with systemic rIL-2 infusion may be suggested as an alternative approach for the immunotherapy of lung cancer, (b) rIL-2 induces different immunological modifications according to the route and the time of its administration and (c) rIL-2 administration increases the amount of circulating immune cells with potential antitumour activity.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy.
M
M
Scudeletti
G
G
Filaci
M A
MA
Imro
G
G
Motta
M
M
Di Gaetano
I
I
Pierri
S
S
Tongiani
F
F
Indiveri
F
F
Puppo
D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015979:Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated / Q000276:immunology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use
D007376:Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins