Treatment with interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon (IFN_alpha 2b) after autologous bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in onco-hematological malignancies with a high risk of relapse

Abstract

Nine patients with onco-hematological malignancies with a poor prognosis due to high risk of relapse received immunotherapy with interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon (IFN_alpha 2b) s.c. as maintenance therapy after receiving autologous bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (ABMT/PBSCT). All the patients were considered at very high risk of relapse. We attempted to assess the efficiency, toxicity and clinical effects of these cytokines in these patients. Five patients were treated with high-dose of IL-2 and the other four patients with escalating doses every month. Side-effects in the first group of patients consisted of fever, chills, weakness, nausea, anorexia, loss of weight and local dermatitis in the injection site. Toxicity on the WHO scale was grade II in three patients and grade IV in the other two patients. In the second group of patients, the same clinical signs of toxicity appeared, but these were grade I on the WHO scale in all patients. None of the patients had infections or died in relation to administration of IL-2. Four patients died of relapse or progression of their hematological malignancies. The other five patients are alive, one in chronic phase of CML and the other four patients are in complete remission of their malignancies.