[A case of renal cell carcinoma with lung metastases successfully treated by interferon-beta]

A case of renal cell carcinoma with multiple lung metastases successfully treated with interferon (IFN) following nephrectomy is reported. A 46-year-old man consulted our institute complaining of left flank pain for 3 months on June 18, 1983. Macroscopic hematuria consisting of blood clot had also been found 1 week before. For a diagnosis of left renal carcinoma with multiple lung metastases, he was admitted. After total nephrectomy, 30 x 10(6) units per day of natural IFN-beta were administered intravenously every other day for 2 months (total dose; 269 x 10(6) units). One of the pulmonary lesions disappeared, but another increased in size and a new lesion was also found. Therefore, this trial was evaluated to be progression. Thereafter, he was treated with 600 mg/day of carmofur (HCFU) and was in a stable condition. As his lung lesions progressed at 11 months after nephrectomy, 9 x 10(6) units/day of recombinant IFN-beta were additionally administered 5 days a week for 4 weeks. When the treatment was completed (total dose; 180 x 10(6) units), the pulmonary lesions disappeared. The complete response lasted for 9 months. However, on May, 1985, bone metastasis to lumbar vertebra was found and he died on November 4, 1985 without any evidence of relapse at lung field.