Stop-flow thoracic perfusion for unresectable pulmonary carcinoma with or without inhalation IL-2 immunotherapy. A prospective randomized study

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Pulmonary carcinoma, metastatic or primary, remains a chal lenging disease with a poor and dismal prognosis. This prospective randomiz ed study compares the results of stop-flow thoracic perfusion and systemic chemotherapy with or without the addition of Interleukin-2 (IL-2) inhalatio n immunotherapy with respect to overall survival and quality of life. METHODOLOGY: From January 1996 to January 1999 stop-flow thoracic perfusion using two balloon-tipped catheters was carried out in combination with mai ntenance system chemotherapy, with (Group B) or without (Group A) inhalatio n IL-2 immunotherapy in 67 patients suffering from histologically diagnosed unresectable lung carcinoma; RESULTS: The mean survival for Group A patients was 12 months (M+/-SD: 12+/ -8.82) while in Group B patients it was 19 months (M+/-SD) 19+/-8.47). CONCLUSIONS: Stop-flow thoracic perfusion in combination with systemic main tenance chemotherapy and IL-2 inhalation immunotherapy prolongs survival an d ensures a good quality of life.