PILOT-STUDY OF IMMUNOTHERAPY USING INTERLEUKIN-2 IN CHILDREN WITH SOLID TUMORS OR LYMPHOMAS

Purpose: A pilot study using recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL-2) was und ertaken to assess the efficacy of this cytokine in children with advan ced cancers. Patients and Methods: Twelve assessable patients entered the study. They were treated either by continuous infusion (four patie nts) or by bolus-type infusion (eight patients). Treatment consisted o f one to two cycles of rIL-2, at a dose of 18 x 10(6) IU/m(2)/day (con tinuous infusion) or 18 x 10(6) IU/m(2)/8 hours (bolus schedule) for 5 days, followed by a 6-day rest. The same dose of rIL-2 was infused ag ain for 4 1/2 days starting on day 12. Patients with no evidence of pr ogression received an identical second course of treatment after a 3-w eek rest. Results: A minor response was achieved in one patient. All o ther patients had stable or progressive disease after one (nine patien ts) or two cycles (two patients). Toxicity was mainly renal and cardio vascular, leading to dose modifications in 10 of 12 patients. Conclusi ons: This phase I/II study shows that minimal antitumor activity is ob tained by isolated rIL-2 treatment in end-stage disease. Based on expe rimental models, the authors suggest that the rIL-2 therapy may be eff ective only if instituted earlier in the course of the disease and/or is associated with alternative treatments.