Interferon-alpha-2a with or without 13-cis retinoic acid in patients with progressive, measurable metastatic renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: In patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (MRCC), interferon-alpha (IFN) monotherapy leads to response rates of 5-15%, dependent on the selection of patients. In 1995, preclinical and clinical data indicated an improvement of these results if IFN was combined with 13-cis retinoic acid (CRA). METHODS: In a randomized Phase II study, patients with measurable MRCC received either subcutaneous IFN (9 MU daily; Arm A) or the same daily subcutaneous dose of IFN plus oral CRA (1 mg/kg; Arm B). A central expert panel reviewed the X-ray documentation of objective responses. RESULTS: In the 50 eligible patients from Arm A, the objective, expert-reviewed response rate was 6% (95% confidence interval 95% CI], 1.3-16.6%; 2 complete responses CRs] and 1 partial response PR]). A 19% response rate (95% CI, 9.4-32.0%) was stated for 53 eligible patients from Arm B (2 CRs and 8 PRs). Only one of the four CRs claimed by the clinical investigator was confirmed by the central review committee. Conversely, the expert committee deemed that 3 of 12 investigator-stated PRs were CRs. Constitutional toxicity (flu-like symptoms) and/or side effects from skin, mucosa, or eyes led to discontinuation of treatment in 22% of nonprogressing patients, more often in Arm B than in Arm A. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this randomized Phase II study support expansion of the trial into a Phase III study to evaluate the effect of IFN-CRA combination therapy on the survival of patients who undergo nephrectomy prior to IFN-based immunotherapy. The considerable interobserver variability of response evaluation (individual investigator vs. expert panel) indicates the necessity of a central review of claimed responses in future Phase II studies involving patients with MRCC.