| Abstract | In metastatic renal cell carcinoma, most conventional antineoplastic drugs have yielded no or little efficacy. To evaluate the tolerance and therapeutic efficacy of second line chemo/immunotherapies, we treated patients with advanced metastatic renal cell carcinoma upon progression after previous antineoplastic therapy employing an outpatient combination of subcutaneous (SC) recombinant interferon-alpha (rIFN-alpha) and intravenous (IV) 5-fluorouracil(5-FU). Thirty-three patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma received SC doses thrice weekly of rIFN-alpha at 10 million U/m2 over 8 consecutive weeks. Additionally, patients received IV 5-FU at 750 mg/m2 in weeks 1-3 and 5-7; treatment cycles were repeated until disease progression. Of 33 patients, one achieved a complete remission (response duration, 24 months) and two patients presented with partial remissions (median response duration, 7 months) of pulmonary metastases upon rIFN-alpha/5-FU after failing SC recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) and rIFN-alpha. The present chemo/immunotherapy regimen was overall well tolerated with low to moderate systemic toxicity and predominantly constitutional symptoms i.e., fever, chills, and malaise. In summary, the second line outpatient chemo/immunotherapy regimen of SC rIFN-alpha/IV 5-FU demonstrated a limited albeit significant efficacy in pretreated patients with progressive metastatic renal cell cancer. |
| Authors | E Lopez Hanninen, H Poliwoda, J Atzpodien
(Affiliation: Division of Hematology & Oncology, MHH Univ Medical Center, Hannover, Germany.)
|
| Journal | Cancer biotherapy
(Cancer Biother)
Vol. 10
Issue 1
Pg. 21-4
( 1995)
ISSN: 1062-8401 UNITED STATES |
| PMID | 7780483
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
|
| Chemical References |
- Interferon-alpha
- Fluorouracil
|
| Topics |
- Adult
- Aged
- Ambulatory Care
- Carcinoma, Renal Cell
(secondary, therapy)
- Combined Modality Therapy
- Female
- Fluorouracil
(therapeutic use)
- Humans
- Interferon-alpha
(therapeutic use)
- Kidney Neoplasms
(therapy)
- Male
- Middle Aged
|
