Interleukin-2 is a protein, normally present in small amounts in the body. It has powerful effects on the body’s immune system and enhances the ability of some white blood cells, called T-lymphocytes, to kill tumor cells. IL-2 is produced by recombinant DNA technology using a genetically engineered bacteria and purified to produce medicine for use in cancer treatment.
The treatment has been available to patients with metastatic kidney (renal cell) cancer and metastatic melanoma since the mid-1980s, when the treatment was first offered in clinical trials. Fifteen to 20 percent of the treated patients experienced shrinkage of their tumors. Some patients experienced a complete response after high-dose IL-2 treatment, meaning that their tumor went away completely. The majority of patients who experienced a complete response have stayed in a remission for many years. These successes led the Food and Drug Administration to approve high-dose IL-2 as treatment for metastatic kidney cancer in 1992 and for metastatic melanoma in 1997.
Eligibility for high-dose IL-2 is determined by medical history, physical examination, blood tests, X-rays or scans; and an evaluation of heart, lung, kidney and liver function. Patients treated with high-dose IL-2 are hospitalized for five days at Providence Portland Medical Center in the oncology unit, where a highly trained team of physicians and nurses provide care during this rigorous treatment regimen. A second admission of five days occurs after a two-week break from treatment. Additional treatment with high-dose IL-2 depends on the response of the patient’s tumor to the treatment.
Learn more about Providence Cancer Center's Biotherapy Program:
