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High‐dose interleukin‐2 immunotherapy is safe for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma on dialysis
Author(s) -
BRUSKY JOHN P.,
GAILANI FAWEZ,
PATHAK APURBA,
PATEL HATEL,
ABOSEIF SHERIF
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
bju international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.773
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1464-410X
pISSN - 1464-4096
DOI - 10.1111/j.1464-410x.2006.05949.x
Subject(s) - renal cell carcinoma , immunotherapy , medicine , dialysis , interleukin 2 , oncology , carcinoma , urology , cancer research , cytokine , cancer
OBJECTIVE To report our experience of high‐dose interleukin‐2 immunotherapy for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) on haemodialysis. PATIENTS AND 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.