Esteva-Lorenzo F J, Janik J E, Fenton R G, Emslie-Smith A, Engel A G, Longo D L
Lombardi Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA.
Cancer. 1995 Oct 1;76(7):1219-23. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19951001)76:7<1219::aid-cncr2820760719>3.0.co;2-o.
Interleukin-2 (IL-2) has been used successfully in the treatment of some patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma and melanoma, with a partial response rate of 15%-20%. It produces a well documented spectrum of side effects. Autoimmune diseases have been associated with IL-2 immunotherapy and the development of autoimmune thyroiditis may correlate with antitumor clinical response.
A patient with metastatic renal cell carcinoma is described who developed a polymyositis-like myopathy after an autologous tumor vaccine and IL-2 therapy.
The patient had a delayed response for 15 months after developing this previously unreported toxicity.
To the authors' knowledge, this represents the first reported case of necrotizing myositis in association with IL-2 therapy. Subsequent continuous partial response of the advanced malignancy was observed for 15 months. In this case, IL-2 may have broken tolerance to both normal muscle cells and tumor cells.
