A COMBINATION OF VINBLASTINE AND DOXORUBICIN WITH INTERFERON-ALPHA

Advanced renal cell carcinoma still has poor overall treatment results , whatever chemotherapy is used. We treated 11 patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma with vinblastine (4 mg/m(2)) and doxorubicin (12 mg/m(2)) weekly, combined with recombinant IFN-alpha 2a given 3 x 10(6 ) IU s.c. three times per week during the first week, and 9 x 10(6) IU three times per week during the second week, and then on an ongoing b asis 18 x 10(6) IU three times per week from the third week. The treat ment of all patients had to be interrupted after 6 to 9 weeks because of leukopenia. Median survival was 6 months, and two partial responses were observed. We conclude that this regimen proved to be excessively toxic and failed to show significant advances compared with two-drug combination.