The challenge of adult respiratory distress syndrome during interleukin-2 immunotherapy.

During the last eight years, a substantial effort has been undertaken to develop new immunotherapeutic modalities to treat patients who have advanced cancer. One of the therapies used in this effort is the administration of interleukin-2 (IL-2) with or without lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells. Tumor responses have been documented in some patients undergoing this treatment, but it can cause life-threatening complications. Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a term describing an acute respiratory failure episode, is one of these complications. Unless recognized and treated early, ARDS can progress to severe respiratory failure requiring intubation. The use of IL-2 for cancer treatment still is being studied, but this agent soon may receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration and become more widely used. Knowledge about its toxicity and the need for careful patient monitoring are paramount when administering this therapy.