Regressive effect of intralesional injection of a moderate dose of recombinant interleukin-2 on carcinoma erysipeloides from gastric carcinoma

Abstract

Cutaneous metastatic diseases remain nearly incurable and a major medical challenge. It has been shown that interleukin-2 (IL-2) has potential as a therapeutic agent for various neoplastic diseases such as melanoma, renal cell carcinoma and myeloid leukaemia. However, IL-2 therapy for metastatic skin lesions has not been established yet. In the present study, we investigated the effect of recombinant IL-2 in a 79-year-old Japanese man with carcinoma erysipeloides, a rare type of cutaneous metastasis from gastric cancer. He was treated with an intralesional injection of rIL-2 (200 000 JRU) daily. Ten days after treatment, an erythematous plaque was eliminated almost completely leaving light brown pigmentation. A skin biopsy from the pigmented area revealed the absence of obvious tumour cells. These findings suggest that this cytokine should be considered for the clinical treatment of several inoperative metastatic cutaneous diseases, including gastric cancer.

Phase II trial of intralesional therapy with interleukin-2 in soft-tissue melanoma metastases

“…However, with none of these cytokines satisfactory results were achieved. The successful use of intralesional IL-2 in the treatment of malignant tumours, including melanoma metastases (Gutwald et al, 1994a, b), squamous cell carcinoma (Whiteside et al, 1993), metastatic eccrine poroma (Dummer et al, 1992), malignant haemangioendothelioma (Inadomi et al, 1992), carcinoma erysipeloides (Hamamoto et al, 2001), and in newer times with PEG-IL-2 on basal cell carcinoma has only been published in single case reports (Kaplan and Moy, 2000). Our study is the first to evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of intralesional IL-2 in a phase II trial in 24 patients.…”

Carcinoma Erysipelatoides Resulting from Gastric Adenocarcinoma: An Unusual Clinical Presentation

“…As with other remote metastasis, skin metastasis due to gastric cancer shortens survival of the patient. A patient administered intralesional interleukin-2 died within 2 months of treatment [8], but another patient responded well to systemic chemotherapy and had a long survival [10]. Although our patient has been followed for only 2 months, he has tolerated the systemic chemotherapy well without any compromise.…”

“…Carcinoma erysipelatoides caused by stomach adenocarcinoma is an extremely rare condition. As far as we know, only two cases of carcinoma erysipelatoides due to gastric adenocarcinoma have been reported so far [7,8], and no case of carcinoma erysipelatoides on cervical skin due to gastric adenocarcinoma has been reported yet.…”

Carcinoma Erysipeloides: A Rare Form of Cutaneous Metastases From Breast Carcinoma

“…The clinical progression usually involves rapid enlargement of the affected area without skin ulceration (Homler et al, 1986;Lee et al, 2001;Calka, 2002;Gutierrez and Rodriguez, 2007). CE is most commonly caused by breast carcinoma, but it has also been related to other malignancies; thyroid, bladder, lung, gastric (Homler et al, 1986;Lever, 1991;Lookingbill, 1993;Wnamaker et al, 1993;Schwartz, 1995;Nambi and Tharakaram, 1999;Hamamoto et al, 2001;Calka, 2002;Gutierrez and Rodriguez, 2007). Cutaneous metastases occur in 1% to 5% of patients with visceral malignancies (Hamamoto et al, 2001;Lookingbill, 1993), Between 10% and 35% of women with operable breast cancer will experience an isolated locoregional recurrence following their primary treatment.…”