The Current Use of Interferons, Interleukin-2 and Tumor Necrosis Factor in Renal Cell Cancer

Cytokines such as interferons, interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor have been widely tested in the treatment of advanced renal cell cancer. However, the rates of objective remissions (PR and CR) are disappointing and rarely exceed 20% overall. Until now, a definitive cure of a patient with renal cell cancer treated with cytokines has not been reported in the literature. The combination of interferon-alpha and interleukin-2 in low-dose regimens seems to offer the best achievable results with the lowest morbidity of the patients in renal cell cancer. Since optimal treatment regimens are still not defined, treatment with these substances should only be carried out in prospective trials.