INTRAVESICAL INSTILLATION OF INTERLEUKIN-2 - AN EFFECTIVE METHOD FOR PREVENTING THE RECURRENCE OF BLADDER-CANCER

The result of intravesical instillation with interleukin-2 (IL-2) for preventing the recurrence of bladder cancer and discussion of its mech anism was reported. 20 patients with histologically confirmed bladder transitional cell carcinoma were investigated. 2 000 u IL-2 was intrav esically instillated every day for six days after resection of the neo plasm. The serum level of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) was significantl y increased in 17 patients after IL-2 therapy. Recurrence occurred in 4 patients during the follow-up period of 10-18 months. The basic leve l of serum TNF was low and was not increased or even decreased after I L-2 in these patients. On the contrary, recurrence did not occur in an other 5 patients with low basic level of TNF, but it was significantly increased after treatment of IL-2. TNF played a key role in preventin g the recurrence of bladder cancer. The patients who had low basic lev el of TNF, which did not markedly increase or even decrease after IL-2 therapy were at high risk of recurrence.