Interleukin-2 Therapy: Report on 129 Patients and Three Different Schedules

Approximately one-half of patients with renal carcinoma develop metastases, and these have a median survival of 8 months [6, 11, 12]. Metastatic renal cancer has been considered for the past 20 years as a tumor resistant to conventional therapies, and great hopes have therefore been placed on the potential role of immunotherapy in this disease. Since 1984 interleukin-2 (IL-2) has been widely used in oncology and has been registered as a drug for use in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (MRCC) treatment in Europe and the United States [8, 12]. However, although IL-2 is now generally accepted as integral in the management of MRCC, its optimal administration is still a matter of debate. Table 1 reports the results of trials using IL-2 in the treatment of metastatic renal carcinoma.