“Interleukin-2 (IL-2) — IL-2 is a form of immunotherapy. It has been found to help some patients with metastatic melanoma when given in high doses. Although significant benefit is seen only in a minority of patients, long-term follow-up of patients treated in early high-dose IL-2 trials confirms that this benefit can be long-lasting. As an example, in an analysis of 270 patients treated in all trials involving high-dose IL-2 conducted between 1985 and 1993 and subsequently updated with follow-up through December 1998, 16 percent (about one in six) of all treated patients had a shrinkage in the size of their tumors with treatment, and the average duration of benefit was about nine months [2,3]. However, sixty percent of those who achieved a complete response (that is, no remaining tumor was evident after IL-2 treatment) remained progression-free at seven years. In addition, no patient responding for longer than 30 months had progression of their melanoma, suggesting that some patients may actually be "cured".These encouraging results, though limited to a minority of patients, led to the approval of high dose IL-2 for patients with metastatic melanoma. However, because high dose IL-2 can produce serious and toxic side effects, it is generally reserved for patients who are otherwise healthy (with good heart and lung function) are treated in centers that specialize in its use.”
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Jimmy B.
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