Intravenous, intralesional and endolymphatic administration of lymphokines in human cancer.

Starting in 1976 we have given two types of lymphokine preparation to 78 individual patients with cancer with no evidence of long-term toxicity. Lymphokine from the 1788 lymphoblastoid line (1788-LK) was given intravenously and intralesionally to 39 of these patients and buffy coat interleukin (BC-IL) to 40 of the patients. On intravenous injection both preparations produced pyrexia and other acute phase changes but with an earlier time course after BC-IL. Feelings of well-being were volunteered and the patients often remained in a steady clinical state for a long time when previously their condition had been deteriorating. Histological studies after intralesional injection into recurrent breast nodules (1788-LK and BC-IL) and prostate (1788-LK) showed an inflammatory cell infiltrate and tumour cell necrosis. Endolymphatic infusion of BC-IL in 23 patients with malignant melanoma was followed by clinical, radiological and histological evidence of lymph node activation. 10 of these patients had had excision of poor prognosis primary tumour only and during the follow-up period (5-17 months) none had a recurrence. Our experience suggests that administration of lymphokines has a place in the total management of cancer patients.