Abstract
To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of interferon alpha-2b (IFN-α2b) and levamisole treatment regimen in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Seventeen patients with metastatic RCC were treated using recombinant IFN-α2b at a dose of 10 MU/m2 body surface subcutaneously three times in a week, for 3 months, with levamisole 50 mg t.d.s orally on days 1–3on alternate weeks. The mean follow-up period was 10.7 (range 2–23) months. We achieved 1 complete response (lasting for 12+months) and 1 partial response (lasting for 15 months), for an objective response rate of 11.7%. A further 7 patients (41%) had a stabilization of disease. The overall toxicity was moderate, with mainly grade I or II side effects. Grade III toxicities reported among 3 patients including vomiting (2 patients) and anorexia (1 patient). There was no treatment related death. Although additions of levamisole to IFN-α do not result in any significant increase in treatment toxicity, the response rate appears to be no better than IFN-α monotherapy reported in the literature.
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Aksoy, H., Baltaci, S., Türkölmez, K. et al. Combined interferon alpha with levamisole in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Int Urol Nephrol 33, 457–459 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019510628249
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019510628249