Interferon alternating with chemotherapy for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Am J Clin Oncol. 1989 Aug;12(4):350-4. doi: 10.1097/00000421-198908000-00015.

Abstract

A prospective randomized trial tested the hypothesis that interferon and cytotoxic chemotherapy delivered sequentially would be synergistic and would increase the response rate in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Thirty-six patients were entered and randomized to chemotherapy only (5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, mitomycin, and cis-platin) vs. interferon alternating with the same chemotherapy. Only 4 of 32 evaluable patients (13%), 2 in each arm, had a major response. Three patients in the alternating arm had minor responses. Complete, partial, and minor responses totaled 7 (22%). All four patients whose only disease was lung metastasis had some evidence of response (p = 0.001). Interferon alternating with chemotherapy did not appear to improve the major response rate over chemotherapy alone. Responses in metastatic renal cell carcinoma appear confined to a favorable subset of patients.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / adverse effects
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / mortality
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / therapy*
  • Cisplatin / administration & dosage
  • Cisplatin / adverse effects
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Doxorubicin / administration & dosage
  • Doxorubicin / adverse effects
  • Fluorouracil / administration & dosage
  • Fluorouracil / adverse effects
  • Humans
  • Interferon Type I / therapeutic use*
  • Kidney Neoplasms / mortality
  • Kidney Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Mitomycins / administration & dosage
  • Mitomycins / adverse effects
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Prospective Studies
  • Random Allocation
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Remission Induction
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Interferon Type I
  • Mitomycins
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Doxorubicin
  • Cisplatin
  • Fluorouracil

Supplementary concepts

  • FAMP protocol