Intraperitoneal administration of interferon beta in ovarian cancer patients

Eight patients with advanced ovarian carcinomas resistant to conventional chemotherapy were injected with interferon (IFN) beta (3 X 10(6) U) intraperitoneally twice a week. Seven subjects had ascites. Side effects included abdominal pain, fever, and constipation, but no hematologic toxicity was observed. Growth of solid tumor lesions was unaffected by IFN beta, with the possible exception of one patient who had stable disease. IFN beta intraperitoneally inhibited completely the formation of ascites in four of seven patients with effusions. Natural killer (NK) cell activity was measured in peripheral blood and tumor-associated lymphocytes (PBL and TAL). Using stringent criteria that included repeated assessment of baseline activity, a clear cut increase in NK cytotoxicity of TAL was detected in two of six subjects from whom TAL could be purified. Augmentation of NK activity was restricted to the peritoneal compartment with no effect on PBL. Studies on biologic response modifiers encompassing an analysis of events taking place at sites directly involved by neoplasia may provide an opportunity for generating information on the in situ regulation of tumor-associated host defense mechanisms in humans.