Interferon alpha therapy in hemodialysis patients with renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

We evaluated serum concentration at dosages of both 5×10⁶ units and 2.5×10⁶ units of interferon administration by i. m. injection in 5 HD patients and 2 non-HD patients to determine the effective dosage and treatment. Serum concentration in HD patients reached a peak 4 to 8 hours after injection. Serum concentration did not differ from that in non-HD patients. Twenty-four hours after injection, 4 of 5 HD patients showed a tendency toward a cumulative serum concentration. The average serum concentration in patients at a dosage of 5×10⁶ units increased to 89.3 IU/ml over 7 days. There were cases showing a maximal concentration of 302 IU/ml among some of the patients receiving that dosage. HD patients showed high levels of AUC. During IFN treatment, GOT increase was detected in all patients. Two patients were excluded due to increased GOT. We suggest changing the dosage used for interferon treatment in HD patients compared to that in patients with normal renal function.