Thalidomide for recurrent renal-cell cancer in a 40-year-old man

A pilot study was performed at The University of Texas M, D. Anderson Cance r Center to determine the feasibility of using thalidomide in a population of renal-cell carcinoma patients who had progressive disease despite chemot herapy and immunotherapy. Metastatic renal-cell carcinoma patients with ade quate oral function were entered onto a study after signing an internal rev iew board-approved informed consent. There were no exclusion criteria for p rior therapy. Nineteen previously treated patients and one untreated patien t with progressive renal-cell carcinoma received oral thalidomide as a sing le agent, The starting dose was 200 mg and the dose was increased by 100 to 200 mg every week until it reached 1,200 mg/d, Response was assessed on th e basis of a radiographic reduction of the metastatic sites involved. A cas e report describing one of the patients involved in the pilot trial is incl uded.