Abstract
We report a 55-year-old male patient with HBeAg positive hepatocellular carcinoma who showed twice clear-cut and prolonged decrease in serum alfa-fetoprotein (AFP) level with administration of recombinant IL-2 (rIL-2). From Sep. 2 to 8 and from Oct. 14 to 20 in 1985, 500 units (1.5×105 NCI unit) of rIL-2 was dripped intravenously every day. Serum AFP level decreased abruptly in the first 18hr. with IL-2 administration only of 500 units. It remained low upto Sep. 17. and returned to that of before treatment. On the second confirming trial, serum AFP level decreased abruptly again and remained low for 12 days. Considerable reduction of LAK activity in this patient was recovered by in vivo administration of IL-2. Precise mechanisms of this drastic decrease of AFP level are in further investigation. But prolonged AFP suppression may partially be contributed to induction of LAK activity besides activated T cell proliferation against HCC. And the early effect, definite reduction of serum AFP in the first 18hr., may partially come from suppressive effects of IL-2 on HCC as IFN on PLC/PRF/5 hepatoma cell line.
