Percent survival at 1 year was significantly increased in patients treated with immunotherapy than in those treated with supportive care alone (9/25 vs. 3/25, p < 0.05) in study which suggests that low-dose subcutaneous IL-2 plus melatonin may be effective as a second-line therapy to induce tumor regression and to prolong percent survival at 1 year in metastatic colorectal cancer patients progressing under 5-FU and folates
Small phase II pilot sutyd of advanced ovarian cancer, foud low dose IL-2 at 3 million IU/day X 6 days for 4 weeks preceded by 40 mg melatonin provides some benefit in advanced disease following at least 3 failed polychemotherapy regimens.
Study, again of advanced cancer, with previous failed chemotherapy found that melatonin plus low-dose IL-2 therapy stimulated lymphocyte production and provided a partial response and stable disease. No control group.
Study of pre-operative IL-2 and melatonin versus control found an increase in the lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, and NK cell activity. Again, no toxicity reported.
Abstract only here. Immunotherapy of IL-2 + melatonin provided lack of progression of 67% of patients included with a average duration of 21+ months in patients with untreatable advanced hematologic cancer. Again, no toxicities. Interesting, the survival time was similar to the previously reported survival times with the highly toxic high dose IL-2 therapy.
only abstract available here to general public. Opiates suprress the immune system. This is an important point in the fight against cancer. Cancer is, in part, the result of signficant immune imbalance. In this study of patients with Renal Cell Cancer, melatonin + IL-2 was found to counter this immunosuppressive effect of morphine to increase partial response and to increase the 3 year survival.
Average progression-free time and percentage of patients alive at 1 year was significantly higher in those using IL-2 and melatonin compared to chemotherapy in aggressive NSCLC. Of note, in this study, they used a repeat cycle of IL-2 and MLT as well as a once/week maintenance IL-2 and MLT.