Autoimmune Thyroiditis following Interleukin-2 and Lak Cell Therapy for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: Correlation with Tumor Regression

A 63-year-old woman receiving recombinant interleukin-2 (rlL-2) + lymphokine activated killer cells for metastatic renal cell carcinoma developed autoimmune thyroiditis with clinical hypothyroidism and high titer anti-thyroglobulin and anti-microsomal antibodies. The onset of thyroid dysfunction was associated with tumor regression and resulted in complete response at the end of the treatment. Cytologic and cytofluorimetric studies on thyroid tissue showed two distinct populations, mainly consisting of small lymphocytes and large thyrocytes, and the latter expressed MHC class II antigens. After completion of rlL-2 treatment, hypothyroidism gradually decreased until resolution; complete tumor remission lasted 18 months. Mechanisms underlying the association between autoimmune thyroiditis and cancer regression are discussed.

The Feasibility of Repetitive Courses of High-Dose Continuous Intravenous Infusion Interleukin-2 and Subcutaneous Alpha-Interferon with Polychemotherapy in Advanced Malignant Melanoma

Aims and background

A Phase I study of repetitive courses of chemotherapy (carmustine, cis-platinum, dacarbazine) and immunotherapy (continuous intravenous infusion recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) and subcutaneous (sc) alpha-interferon 2b) plus tamoxifen was performed in order to establish a more efficaciuous way to sequence this kind of treatment for advanced malignant melanoma.

Study design

Patients who had measurable metastatic melanoma, a Karnofsky performance status ≥ 80, and no clinically significant hematologic or cardiac disfunction were considered eligible. Treatment consisted of BCNU, 150 mg/m2 i.v. day 1 in alternating cycles; DTIC, 220 mg/m2 i.v. days 1, 2 and 3; CDDP, 25 mg/m2 i.v. days 1, 2 and 3; tamoxifen 10 mg twice/day per os continuously; rIL-2, 18 × 106 IU/m2/day continuous i.v. infusion days 5-8 (96 h) and days 19-22 (96 h); alpha-interferon (IFN) s.c. 3 × 106 U day 12, 6 × 106 U day 14, 9 × 106 U days 16, 19, 21, 23, 26, and 28 (from cycle 2, 9 × 106 U days 2, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23, 26, and 28). Two consecutive cycles were planned until response evaluation.

Results

Three patients were treated according with the protocol; none of them was able to respect the planned dose-intensity schedule. The given dose intensity/planned dose intensity ratios were as follows: DTIC, 0.74 (range, 0.70-0.80); CDDP, 0.77 (0.72-0.80); BCNU, 0.77 (0.72-0.80); rIL-2, 0.65 (0.36-0.80); alpha-IFN, 0.01 (0-0.03); tamoxifen, 1.0. Systemic side effects of rIL-2 and myelotoxicity were the main reasons for treatment delay and/or dose-reduction, and for the long period of hospital care.

Conclusions

We conclude that the treatment schedule is not feasible. However, since we believe that combined chemo-immunotherapy is a potentially active treatment in metastatic malignant melanoma, we have modified it in order to make it more feasible and consequently efficacious.

MATILDE regimen followed by radiotherapy is an active strategy against primary CNS lymphomas

The authors assessed MATILDE chemotherapy followed by response-tailored radiation therapy in 41 patients aged 70 years or younger with primary CNS lymphoma in a Phase II trial. With response rates of 76% after MATILDE and 83% after chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy, this was an active strategy, particularly in low- to intermediate-risk patients (International Extranodal Lymphoma Study Group [IELSG] score). Myelosuppression was the dose-limiting toxicity, with 9.5% of lethal complications. After a median follow-up of 49 months, a plateau in the survival curve (5-year overall survival: 41 +/- 7%) was obtained.

Increased interleukin-10 serum levels in patients with solid tumours

In 40 out of 99 patients (40.4%) with solid tumours of different tissue, but the same stage (IV), elevated serum levels of interleukin-10 were observed. The mean levels of the cytokine in patients with malignant melanoma (24.3 ng/ml), pancreatic (6.8 ng/ml) or gastric (6.3 ng/ml) adenocarcinoma were significantly higher than in healthy subjects (3.4 ng/ml) or in patients with uterine fibroma (1.7 ng/ml). Patients with colon (6.8 ng/ml) and renal (5.7 ng/ml) carcinoma had similar values of interleukin-10 but did not significantly differ from controls. Interleukin-10 is known to suppress the functions of both T lymphocytes and macrophages, working as a general dampener of the immune and inflammatory responses. The observation of increased circulating levels of interleukin-10 in cancer patients may have important implications for future investigations, immunological monitoring and therapeutic intervention on neoplastic patients, and suggests a mechanism for tumour cells escaping from immune surveillance.

Isolated left ventricular filling abnormalities may predict interleukin-2-induced cardiovascular toxicity

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a cytokine with proven activity against metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and malignant melanoma (MM). The intravenous administration of high-dose IL-2 is limited by important cardiovascular side effects such as hypotension, fluid retention, arrhythmias, and myocardial ischemia, which often cause dose reduction and/or treatment withdrawal. The occurrence of these toxic events is not predicted by routine pretreatment examinations. The aim of the present study was to test the reliability of serial echocardiography in predicting subsequent cardiac adverse effects in patients undergoing IL-2 administration. In 19 patients (15 men, 4 women; median age: 51 years, range 27-71 years; 10 affected by metastatic RCC and 9 affected by MM) we performed two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography before and immediately after 28 continuous intravenous infusions (CIVI) of IL-2 at the dose of 18 MIU/m2/day for 4 days. Left ventricular systolic function and the diastolic transmitral flow pattern were assessed before and after IL-2 administration. Significant changes of two indexes of left ventricular filling were noted: a decrease of the ratio of maximal flow velocity in early diastole to that in late diastole (E/A) (basal: 1.12 +/- 0.46, mean +/- SD; posttreatment: 0.83 +/- 0.27; p < 0.01) and an increase of the percentage of the atrial contribution to left ventricular filling (basal: 37.75 +/- 11.58%; posttreatment: 49.43 +/- 16.48%; p < 0.01). Eight major cardiovascular events causing IL-2 infusion withdrawal were observed (two ischemic electrocardiographic modifications, three grade III-IV hypotension, one atrial fibrillation, one pericardial effusion, one acute heart failure). These major cardiovascular events were observed more often when an abnormal basal E/A ratio < 1.0 (p < 0.05) was found. We conclude that Doppler transmitral flow pattern analysis before and subsequent to IL-2 infusion is a useful and easily available procedure for the monitoring of cardiac modifications during CIVI IL-2 administration. It might also predict a major cardiovascular event during IL-2 administration. Patients with basal E/A ratio < 1.0 should be more carefully monitored during treatment and/or should be treated with lower IL-2 doses to avoid cardiovascular toxicity.