RENAL-CELL CARCINOMA - VARIATIONS OF BLOOD LYMPHOCYTE SUBPOPULATIONS UNDER TREATMENT BY INTERFERON-ALPHA-2B AND R-INTERLEUKIN-2

Twenty patients (6 females and 14 males), age range 36-70 years-old, w ith melastatic renal cell carcinoma (MRCC), received interferon alpha- 2b (IFN-A) 10 x 10(6) units/day IM for 5 days followed by continuous I V infusion of interleukine-2 (IL-2) 18 x 10(6) units/day for 5 days. T he median follow-up was 10 months. We observed four partial responses (20%), 13 stable (65%) and three progressive diseases (15%). The mean CD4/CD8 ratio, obtained before therapy in patients with MRCC, was comp ared with CD4/CD8 ratio in 51 patients with different advanced maligna ncy and in patients with no cancer. The CD4/CD8 ratio was higher in pa tients with MRCC (2.55) than in other cancers (1.474) and than in popu lations with no cancer (1.66.chi2 = 17,378). The surface phenotypes of peripheral lymphocytes were analysed by cytofluorometry in patients w ith MRCC during and after treatment with IFN-A and IL-2. Immune modula tory effects of therapy immediately induced a decrease of different su b-populations of lymphocytes except CD25 +. Far from the first course, a rise in lymphocyte count was observed. The proliferation effect was as follows: CD4 +, CD8 +, CD4 + CD45RA - and CD16 + CD8 - cells. Far from the second and 3rd course, the sub-populations of lymphocytes dec reased, except the CD4 + and CD4 - CD45RA + cells. The CD4/CD8 ratio i ncreased progressively during treatment. Before each course, the CD4/C D8 ratio of patients with response to treatment was higher than the CD 4/CD8 ratio of patients with no response. Results were non-significant due to the small number of subjects with responses in this study.