title: Preoperative interleukin-2 immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer: preliminary results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cancer patients' immunodeficiency, made worse by surgery, represents a poor prognostic factor for postoperative complications and long-term survival. Interleukin-2 has been shown to contrast the immunodeficiency related to the tumor and surgical treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of preoperative immunotherapy with interleukin-2 in pancreatic cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  19 patients with pancreatic cancer undergoing radical surgery were divided in 2 different groups. Group 1: 9 patients treated with preoperative Interleukin-2 (9 million IU of IL-2 s.c. for 3 consecutive days) followed by pancreaticoduodenectomy after 36 hours; group 2: 10 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy without any neoadjuvant treatment. Two groups were well matched for age, sex, stage of disease, preoperative tumor markers and preoperative hematological assessment. Inflammatory cells' infiltration on the resected specimens, pre- and postoperative blood lymphocyte counts were evaluated as well as postoperative complications and survival and compared between the groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hematological and histological findings showed no significant difference between the 2 groups. Postoperative complications were more frequent in the control than in the treated group (p<0.05). Two-year survival was 33% in the treated group compared with 10% in the control (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preoperative Interleukin-2 administration seems to achieve a positive effect on postoperative complications and survival in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, San Gerardo Hospital University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Angelini
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bovo
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Muselli
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mussi
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Crippa
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caprotti
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Uggeri
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011300:Preoperative Care
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007376:Interleukin-2