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Recombinant alfa‐2B‐interferon therapy in untreated, stages A and B chronic lymphocytic leukemia. A preliminary report
Author(s) -
Pangalis Gerassimos A.,
Griva Elpiniki
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19880301)61:5<869::aid-cncr2820610503>3.0.co;2-i
Subject(s) - medicine , chronic lymphocytic leukemia , interferon alfa , gastroenterology , chemotherapy , toxicity , autoimmune hemolytic anemia , alpha interferon , immunology , interferon , leukemia , anemia , surgery
Ten patients with B‐chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B‐CLL) (Six Stage A and four Stage B), who had not received therapy previously, were treated with recombinant alfa‐2b‐interferon (Schering Corporation, Kenilworth, NJ). The low dose of 1.5 MU was administered by intramuscular (IM) injection three times a week for the first week. The dose was increased to 3.0 MU thereafter until 3 months of therapy were completed. In the responding patients, treatment was continued in the same dose and schedule for 3 additional months. Interferon was tolerated without major toxicity by most patients. Objective tumor response (one complete response and four partial hematologic responses [PHR]) was observed in five of ten patients (50%). Severe autoimmune hemolytic anemia developed in one of the nonresponders at 8 weeks. Therefore, treatment had to be discontinued. Our study demonstrated single alfa‐2b‐interferon antitumor activity in untreated B‐CLL patients with stable disease, and indicated that further trials of alfa‐2b‐interferon, possibly combined with chemotherapy, may be justified.