ALTERNATING IMMUNE THERAPY IN RENAL-CELL CARCINOMA

Background: Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has a 5-year surviva l rate of about 10%. To date, no standard therapy has been established for metastatic RCC. One treatment approach uses different kinds of re combinant human cytokines as single agents or in combinations. We stud ied the case of a 58-year-old female who developed liver and lung meta stases 4 years after nephrectomy had been performed due to RCC. Method s: We administered an alternating combination of recombinant interfero n-alpha (IFN-alpha)/interleukin-2 (IL-2) respectively interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). All substances were applied subcutaneously. Results: Und er this therapeutical regimen, the patient achieved phases of stable d isease and clinical improvement. After 5 years of treatment, thoracal CT shows no sign of pulmonary metastasis. The patient is still alive w ith a recent Karnofsky performance status of 70%. Systemic toxicity wa s manageable on a routine medical ward. Conclusion: An alternating imm unotherapy with cytokines could be a treatment possibility in patients with metastatic RCC, especially in case of pulmonary metastasis.