Interleukin-2
One of the most promising treatments for patients with advanced kidney cancer is an immunotherapy program known as Interleukin-2. Interleukin-2 is a hormone that is naturally produced in the body. When administered as part of an immunotherapy program, IL-2 uses the body's own defense system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. Specifically, IL-2 plays a major role in immune regulation because it stimulates the proliferation of activated T lymphocytes.

Richard L. White, Jr. M.D., Director of the Immunotherapy Program at the Blumenthal Cancer Center, works closely with Dr. Teigland and a multi-disciplinary team to provide IL-2 treatment as part of a comprehensive care plan for patients with advanced kidney cancer. This team includes cardiologists Dr. John Cedarholm and Dr. Geoffrey Rose of the Sanger Clinic, and Dr. Jeff Kneisel, a musculoskeletal oncologist. All eligible patients are evaluated by the immunotherapy team, which often includes a cardiologist, who follows the patient throughout the treatment process as needed. Led by Dr. White, the immunotherapy team then administers IL-2 in courses, which consist of two one-week hospital stays. After the first week (cycle), the patient spends one to two weeks recovering (at home), and then receives another cycle, followed by 4-6 weeks of recovery. At this point, Dr. White evaluates the results. If the size of the cancer is the same or smaller, a second course is administered. In 2002, CMC delivered 100 cycles of IL-2, making it one of the largest volume IL-2 centers in the country.

After undergoing IL-2 immunotherapy for advanced kidney cancer, one in five patients will have major shrinkage of their tumor(s). Of those patients, 9-10 percent will see their disease go away entirely; in fact, the majority of the patients in this group are cured. To put these results in perspective, prior to the development of Interleukin-2 immunotherapy, no therapy existed that offered a hope of a cure for a patient with advanced kidney cancer.