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Alpha‐interferon in hairy cell leukaemia: Direct effects on hairy cells or indirect cytotoxicity?
Author(s) -
Sigaux F.,
Castaigne S.,
Lehn P.,
Dupuy E.,
Billard C.,
Gluckman JC.,
Boiron M.,
Falcoff E.,
Flandrin G.,
Degos L.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910390703
Subject(s) - hairy cell , hairy cell leukemia , interferon , bone marrow , alpha interferon , medicine , immunology , cytopenia , interferon alfa , cancer research , myelofibrosis , cell , biology , leukemia , genetics
This report presents the results of a clinical trial on 53 patients with hairy cell leukaemia using low‐dose alpha‐interferon as therapy. Improvement of cytopenia and/or bone marrow hairy cell infiltration occurred in all but one patient. Often, blood and bone marrow improvements were dissociated and, after 7 or 13 months of therapy, complete remission was only observed in about 40% of patients. Recurrence of the disease was observed in some cases after cessation of therapy. A summary of the following results is presented: alpha‐interferon receptor analysis, oncogene expression, study of the sensitivity of hairy cells to natural killer cells, and the effects of interferon on T‐cell receptor gene rearrangement and on the function of T‐cell clones. Results are also presented which show that myelofibrosis may be due to a release of platelet derived growth factor. The immunological findings and oncogene expression in 2 patients with a variant form of hairy cell leukaemia for which resistance to therapy was observed are also described. All the results show that interferon acts on hairy cells and are consistent with a direct effect by interferon in the treatment of hairy cell leukaemia.