Improved survival with perilymphatic interleukin 2 in patients with resectable squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx.
BACKGROUND
The current randomized, multicenter, Phase III trial was conducted to determine whether the disease free interval and overall survival of patients with T2-T4,N0-N3,M0 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity or oropharynx could be extended through the combination of surgery (and radiotherapy, if required) with perilymphatic recombinant IL-2 (rIL-2).


METHODS
Patients with a resectable T2-T4,N0-N3,M0 SCC of the oral cavity and oropharynx were assigned randomly to receive surgery and radiotherapy or to receive IL-2, surgery, and radiotherapy. Five thousand units of rIL-2 were injected around the ipsilateral cervical lymph node chain daily for 10 days before surgery. After surgery, contralateral 5-day rIL-2 courses were administered monthly for 1 year. The differences in disease free and overall survival between the two groups of patients were evaluated statistically.


RESULTS
Two hundred two patients finished the study. No significant complications related to rIL-2 were encountered, and surgery and radiotherapy were not hampered by its prior administration. Multivariate analysis conducted to determine the extent to which survival was influenced by rIL-2 and the other variables showed that rIL-2 significantly lengthened disease free survival (P < 0.01) and that this resulted in longer overall survival (P < 0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
The data emerging from this trial indicate that perilymphatic administration of low, nontoxic doses of rIL-2 is a simple and manageable way to delay recurrences of SCC.
Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia Clinica, University of Torino, Torino, Italy. adestefani@ircc.mauriziano.it
Antonella
A
De Stefani
Guido
G
Forni
Riccardo
R
Ragona
Giovanni
G
Cavallo
Mario
M
Bussi
Antonio
A
Usai
Fausto
F
Badellino
Giorgio
G
Cortesina
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015996:Survival Rate
D007376:Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins