Chronic inflammatory arthritis after treatment with high-dose interleukin-2 for malignancy

Abstract

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) immunotherapy resulted in the development of inflammatory arthritis in three male patients with metastatic cancer. Two patients developed a clinical picture consistent with rheumatoid arthritis. A third patient with a remote history of Reiter's syndrome developed a recrudescence of an inflammatory arthritis after treatment with IL-2. The clinical, laboratory, and histologic data on the patients and the potential pathophysiologic mechanisms are discussed.