Treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma with a combination of human lymphoblastoid interferon-alpha and cimetidine.
OBJECTIVE
We examined whether cimetidine could augment the efficacy of interferon-alpha therapy for advanced renal cell carcinoma.


METHODS
Of 31 male and 6 female patients treated with interferon-alpha and cimetidine 21 had metastases at diagnosis and 15 had a recurrence after nephrectomy. One patient had a primary tumor with thrombus in the inferior vena cava. Lymphoblastoid interferon-alpha was administered at 5 megaunits daily intramuscularly 5 to 7 days a week for at least 8 weeks, and cimetidine was administered orally at 800 mg. daily in 4 divided doses. The evaluable tumors included 30 in the lung, 6 lymph nodes, 5 bone, 4 kidney and 1 inferior vena cava.


RESULTS
Combined therapy with interferon-alpha and cimetidine resulted in a complete response in 7 patients, a partial response in 8, stable disease in 12 and progression in 10. The objective response rate was 41%. The lung metastasis showed the best response to combined therapy. The 5-year survival rates for patients with and without response, and overall were 74, 20 and 41%, respectively. Histopathologically, high grade tumors had a better response to combined therapy than did low grade tumors.


CONCLUSIONS
Combined therapy with interferon-alpha and cimetidine for advanced renal cell carcinoma resulted in a definitively good response. A prospective randomized trial should be performed to elucidate the efficacy of the combined therapy.
Kinouchi
T
T
Department of Urology, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, Japan.
Saiki
S
S
Maeda
O
O
Kuroda
M
M
Usami
M
M
Kotake
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002927:Cimetidine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015996:Survival Rate
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D002927:Cimetidine