5-FLUOROURACIL AND INTERFERON-ALPHA IN CHEMOTHERAPY REFRACTORY BLADDER-CARCINOMA - AN EFFECTIVE REGIMEN

Seventy-seven patients With metastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder who were unable to receive primary Cisplatin-based therapy or failed primary chemotherapy received one of three sequential 5-Flu orouracil-based salvage regimens: a) 5-Fluorouracil (1000 mg/m(2) B.S. A. x 5 days) and Mitomycin-C (14 mg/m(2) B.S.A. 6 week intervals), b) 5-Fluorouracil (750 mg/m(2) B.S.A. x 5 days) and a-Interferon (5 miu/m (2) B.S.A. daily x 5 then 3 times a week (TIW), c) 5-Fluorouracil (500 mg/m(2) B.S.A. x 5 days), a-Interferon (5 miu/m(2) B.S.A. x 5 days th en TIW) and 13-Cis Retinoic Acid in escalating doses daily. Only 1 (6% ) of the patients with regimen A responded, whereas 9 (30%) of the pat ients with regimen B and 8 (27%) in regimen C responded. Although all responses were partial remissions, responses were seen in patients wit h advanced and initially refractory transitional cell carcinomas. This data reveals that a-Interferon and 5-Fluorouracil is an effective com bination in the treatment of metastatic transitional cell carcinoma an d worthy of further study.