[Treatment of metastatic kidney neoplasms with a new interleukin 2 protocol: The experience of the Gustave-Roussy Institute].

Treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma with interleukin 2 (IL2) remains controversial despite the authorization from the French government for IL2 with the West schedule in this disease. We report herein the study of the Institute Gustave-Roussy of 73 patients, who received from 1989 to 1991 a new schedule of high dose IL2. Seventy three patients received high dose IL2 according to the following schedule: IL2 by continuous infusion at 24.10(6) IU/m2/d, on 2 consecutive days per week, during 5 weeks. This treatment was associated in the first 33 patients with gamma interferon at a dose of 5.10(6) IU/m2/d subcutaneously the days of IL2 infusion, during the 5 weeks of therapy. Immunotherapy was further continued in responding patients, either as an association of IL2 and LANAK (lymphokine-activated natural killer) cells, or as IL2 alone. Finally, when possible, surgery was performed on residual masses. Twenty five percent of objective responses (PR + CR) have been observed. Moreover, 12.3% CR has been obtained after the overall therapy. The global mean survival is 15 months, with a mean survival of 8, 18 and 24+ months depending on the status of the disease (progressive, stable or responding) after initial treatment with IL2. Tolerance of this schedule was good with an actual received dose of 90% of the planned doses, and patients could leave the hospital within 2 hours after the end of IL2 in 87% of the cycles. No toxic death was observed. Among the parameters observed for correlation with the clinical response, only performance status and level of sTNF-alpha R were significantly associated with the response.