[Criteria of efficacy of adjuvant immunotherapy of surface cancer of the urinary bladder].

Assessment of prognostic significance of interleukine-8 (L-8) urine levels was made in 12 patients with verified surface cancer of the urinary bladder (SCUB) on adjuvant intravesical immunotherapy. Quantitative enzyme immunoassay identified IL-8 in the urine before intravesical injection of BCG vaccine and 6 hours later. A total of 192 urine samples were studied ("Multiskan-Jems", 405 nm). Adjuvant immunotherapy raises an L-8 level in the urine of the patients. After 8-week immunotherapy IL-8 elevated from 169.4 pg/ml to 326 pg/ml. Four patients with minimal difference in IL-8 urine levels (120 pg/ml, on the average) before and 6 hours after intravesical injection of BCG vaccine developed recurrence. Thus, quantitative assessment of IL-8 in urine of SCUB patients given intravesical BCG therapy can serve as one of prognostic criteria of adjuvant immunotherapy efficacy.