NORMALIZATION OF IDIOPATHIC ARTERIAL-HYPERTENSION FOLLOWING CANCER-IMMUNOTHERAPY WITH INTERLEUKIN-2

It is known that IL-2 cancer immunotherapy is associated with hypotens ion. The present study was performed to evaluate the influence of low- dose IL-2 subcutaneous therapy on blood pressure in cancer patients wi th idiopathic hypertension requiring hypotensive therapy. The study in cluded 12 patients, who received IL-2 at 6 million IU/day for at least 4 weeks. Mean values of both systolic and diastolic pressure signific antly decreased under IL-2 therapy, and the hypotensive agents were in terrupted within 2 weeks in 10/12 patients. Moreover 6 of them still s howed normal blood pressure values without hypotensive therapy after a median follow-up of 6 months. This preliminary study would suggest th at low-dose IL-2 subcutaneous therapy may normalize blood pressure val ues in cancer patients with idiopathic hypertension.