title: High-dose interleukin-2 immunotherapy is safe for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma on dialysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report our experience of high-dose interleukin-2 immunotherapy for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) on haemodialysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two anephric patients with metastatic RCC on haemodialysis received interleukin-2 (600,000 IU/kg) every 8 h for a maximum of 14 doses. The patients rested for 9 days and cycles were repeated as tolerated. A nephrologist followed the patients during treatment and they received nearly daily haemodialysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  These two cases were treated with high-dose interleukin-2 and had no unusual toxicity or adverse events. The first patient tolerated five, five, four, four and one dose of interleukin-2 over five cycles. He had a partial response to treatment with a decrease in size of a mediastinal mass, but ultimately developed progressive disease and died 32 months later. The second patient had four cycles of interleukin-2 (13, 13, 14 and nine doses). He initially maintained stable disease throughout treatment, but the disease ultimately progressed and he died 19 months later.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We recommend considering high-dose interleukin-2 immunotherapy in highly selected dialysis patients with metastatic RCC. Further study is required to determine the safety, efficacy and optimum dosing in this group.
authors.affiliation: Urology, Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Brusky
authors.forename: Fawez
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gailani
authors.forename: Apurba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pathak
authors.forename: Hatel
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Sherif
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aboseif
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006435:Renal Dialysis
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007376:Interleukin-2