Treatment of metastatic renal cancer with ifosfamide and mesnum with and without irradiation.

Ifosfamide (50-60 mg/kg of body weight, Days 1-5) and mesnum (10-12 mg/kg of body weight, Days 1-5) were given to 15 patients with measurable metastatic renal cancer. This treatment was repeated on Day 29. In addition, six of these 15 patients received irradiation to some of the metastatic areas. There was one partial remission among 11 evaluable patients after two ifosfamide courses. The partial remission was seen in a metastatic area treated with low-dose irradiation prior to the first ifosfamide course. Two cases of early death and two cases of toxic death (urotoxicity) were observed. The main hematologic complication was moderate to severe leukopenia. Previously reported high response rates to ifosfamide treatment of renal cancer could not be confirmed.