INTERMITTENT INTERFERON-αα USE IN RENAL METASTASES

The immediate and late results of treating patients with renal metastases with a new intermittent interferon-α (IFN-α) use regimen are presented.

Subjects and methods. The study included 131 patients receiving IFN-α as 3106 IU subcutaneously, days 1—10 at a further 2-week inter- val.

Results. Complete and partial effects were achieved in 11 (8.4%) and 18 (13.7%) patients, respectively; stable disease (≥6 months) was observed in 35 (26.7%). The median time to progression was 23.3 months. The sizes and number of lung metastases were found to have a great impact on survival: with metastases sizing ≤2 cm and their number of ≤10, the median overall survival was 29.9 months. These patients are the most promising candidates for the effective first-line IFN-α therapy.