title: Low-dose recombinant IL-2 induces psychological changes: monitoring by Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic subcutaneous rIL-2 at low doses produces long-lasting immunomodulatory effects and is considered an effective treatment for renal cell carcinoma with marginal activity in malignant melanoma and colorectal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study we evaluated, by Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), the psychological changes induced by rIL-2 in 10 patients with advanced tumors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 3 months of rIL-2 treatment, 80% of the patients had a significantly increased score on the clinical scale of depression (D) and psychasthenia (Pt) (p<0.01), 70% on the scale of conversion hysteria (Hy) and 60% on the scales of schizophrenia (Sc) and psychopathic deviate (Pd), (p<0.05). These MMPI changes were however not paralleled by disease progression or clinical-overt psychological disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings demonstrate that low-dose rIL-2 is a psychoactive treatment, which deserves psychological monitoring The MMPI is feasible for the evaluation of subclinical psychological modifications induced by cytokine immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Endocrinologia e Oncologia Sperimentale e Clinica, Università degli Studi Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pizzi
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caraglia
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cianciulli
authors.forename: Antonietta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fabbrocini
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Libroia
authors.forename: Elide
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Matano
authors.forename: Alma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Contegiacomo
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Del Prete
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abbruzzese
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martignetti
authors.forename: Pierosandro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tagliaferri
authors.forename: Angelo Raffaele
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Bianco
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D008950:MMPI; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007376:Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins