Locoregional IL-2 Therapy in the Treatment of Colon Cancer. Cell-induced Lesions of a Murine Model

Background: Local therapy with IL-2 may be very effective in the treatment of different forms of cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of IL-2 locoregional application in the treatment of colon cancer. Materials and Methods: Twenty eight syngenic BDIX rats were utilized in this study. The rats were divided into two groups of fourteen animals: group T (treatment) and group C (control). All rats of both groups were injected, under the splenic capsule, with T 10 7 DHD/K12/ TRb neoplastic cells. Then, within and around the site of the previous inoculation, the T group was injected with 1 ml of glucosate solutions + 0.1% albumin (BSA) containing 2.5×10 6 IU of IL-2 (Proleukin-Chiron), whereas the C group was injected with 1 ml of BSA alone. After three weeks, rats were sacrificed and the liver and spleen were removed. The following parameters were considered: volume and weight, neoplastic-non neoplastic tissue index of the spleen, mitotic index and vascular density of splenic and hepatic lesions. Results: All the studied parameters showed statistically significant differences in treated and untreated animals. Conclusion: This study of a murine model demonstrated that IL-2 locoregional therapy may be effective in the treatment of colon cancer.