Locoregional IL-2 low dose applications for gastrointestinal tumors

To explore the feasibility of local interleukin 2 (IL-2) in patients with different forms of abdominal cancer. This required experimentation with the time interval between IL-2 applications and the methods of application.

Sixteen patients with stages III and IV of gastrointestinal malignancies (primary or metastatic) who were admitted to our Department of Gastroenterology were treated with locoregionally applied IL-2 in low doses.

No major problems applying locoregional IL-2 were encountered. In 6 out of 16 patients, a modest but clinically worthwhile improvement was obtained. Adverse effects were minimal. The therapeutic scheme was well tolerated, even in patients in a poor condition.

This study demonstrates the feasibility of low dose locoregional IL-2 application in advanced abdominal cancer. Local IL-2 therapy gives only negligible adverse effects. The results suggest that it is important to apply intratumorally. Local IL-2 may be given adjunct to standard therapeutic regimes and does not imply complex surgical interventions. These initial results are encouraging.