Low-dose IL-2 Plus IFN-alpha Immunotherapy as Adjuvant Treatment of Renal Carcinoma.

For pts with non-metastatic RCC, no standard adjuvant treatment exists. Immunotherapy (IT) using IFN and/or IL2 is effective in metastatic disease setting. Low and chronically repeated doses of IL2 plus IFN induce a persistent stimulation of the immune system with no relevant toxicity.

Surgically treated RCC pts were randomized to the following arms: A) low-dose IT; B) control arm. IT consisted of a 4-week cycle of s.c. IL2 (5 days/wk, 1 million UI/sqm bid d 1,2 and 1 million UI/sqm x 1 d 3,4,5) + IFN (1,8 million UI/sqm d 3,5 of each week). Cycles were repeated every 4 months for the first 2 years and every 6 months for the remaining 3 years. Each patient received 12 cycles in 5 years. Inclusion criteria were as follows: histological diagnosis of RCC, age <75 yrs, radical or partial nephrectomy within the past 3 months, pT1 (diameter of T > 2,5 cm), T2, T3 a-b-c; pN0-pN3, M0; good cardiac and renal function and no autoimmune disease.

Inclusion criteria

• Diagnosis histologically confirmed of renal cells carcinoma (every histotype);
• Age < 75 years
• Radical surgical removal of the tumor: total or partial nephrectomy within previous 3 months
• Patient classified as T1 (with diameter > 2,5 cm), T2, T3 a-b-c; In presence of involvement of loco-regional lymph-nodes (staging N1, N2, N3, TNM class.), metastases should have been completely removed during nephrectomy
• Absence of distant metastases;
• Written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Tumor diameter equal or less than 2,5 cm;
• Previous chemotherapy or ormonotherapy o immunotherapy;
• Renal insufficiency >3 mg/dl);
• No symptomatic arrhythmias or autoimmune disease