Interleukin-2-based immunotherapy for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma: an analysis of 203 consecutively treated patients.

Abstract

This analysis demonstrated that rIL-2-based therapy offers a significant survival benefit to patients with advanced metastatic renal cell carcinoma, compared with historical controls. Furthermore, we have shown that nephrectomy > 6 months prior to rIL-2 therapy and nephrectomy followed by treatment with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes/rIL-2 +/- interferon-alpha was associated with the greatest survival benefit. Tumor response to rIL-2-based therapy and time from nephrectomy to treatment were the most important predictors of survival. Randomized studies in a large group of patients are needed to confirm these observations.