Interleukin-2 in Treating Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Kidney Cancer

The primary objective of this prospective, randomized, controlled trial is to compare the disease-free and overall survival of patients with stage III or IV high-risk renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who were treated with adjuvant high-dose interleukin-2 vs observation alone.

Patients are stratified according to their disease classification and randomized to one course of IL-2 [600,000 U/kg every 8 hours on days 1 to 5 and days 15 to 19 (maximum 28 doses)] or observation.

Inclusion criteria

• An Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1.
• Adequate organ function as defined by a white blood cell (WBC) count of 4,000/L; a platelet count of 100,000/L; a Hemoglobin level of 10 g/dL; a serum creatinine of 1.5 mg/dL or creatinine clearance of 60 mL/min; and a direct bilirubin level of 1.5 mg/dL.
• Forced expiratory volume at 1 second more than 2.0 L or 75% of predicted for height and age from pre-enrollment pulmonary function testing.
• No history or evidence of cardiac disease on ECG
• No prior systemic treatment for RCC, but patients may have received prior locoregional radiation therapy to solitary resectable metastases, which must have undergone surgical resection before enrollment.
• No prior history of invasive malignancy in the past 5 years
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative
• Female patients must not be pregnant or planning to become pregnant

Exclusion criteria

• Age younger than 16