Chronic myelogenous leukemia interferon therapy

Alimena, G. et al., Interferon alpha-2b as therapy for Ph -positive chronic myelogenous leukemia A study of 82 patients treated with intermittent or daily administration, Blood, 72, 642, 1988. 

Kantarjian,H.M.,T.L.Smith,S. O Brien,M. Beran, S. Pierce, and M. Talpaz, Prolonged survival in chronic myelogenous leukemia after cytogenetic response to interferon-alpha therapy. The Leukemia Service. Ann Intern Med, 1995.122(4) 254-61. 

F. Role in therapy According to Micromedex, Roferon-A is recommended as the drug of choice in renal carcinoma and the chronic phase of chronic myelogenous leukemia. The role of Gleevec (Ima-tinib) in CML is yet to be determined, but it may replace the use of interferon alfa-2a. Roferon-A is an alternative (for unrespon-sive/intolerant patients) to current regimens of choice in hairy-cell leukemia, multiple myeloma, metastatic melanoma, and AIDS-related Kaposi s sarcoma. Other alpha interferons appear to have similar efficacy and can be used in lieu of Roferon-A in some instances. In particular, interferon alfa-2b (Intron) can be considered to have the same role as interferon alfa-2a in chronic hepatitis C, Kaposi s sarcoma, and hairy-cell leukemia. 

Guilhot F, Roy L, Guilhot J et al. Interferon therapy in chronic myelogenous leukemia. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 2004 18 585-603, viii. 

Fruehauf S, Steiger S, Topaly J, Ho AD. Pulmonary artery hypertension during interferon-alpha therapy for chronic myelogenous leukemia. Ann Hematol 2001 80(5) 308-10. 

Kataoka I, Shinagawa K, Shiro Y, Okamoto S, Watanabe R, Mori T, Ito D, Harada M. Multiple sclerosis associated with interferon-alpha therapy for chronic myelogenous leukemia. Am J Hematol 2002 70(2) 149-53. 

Talpaz M, Kantarjian H, Kurzrock R, Gutterman JU. Bone marrow hypoplasia and aplasia complicating interferon therapy for chronic myelogenous leukemia. Cancer 1992 69(2) 410-12. 

Sacchi S, Kantarjian H, O Brien S, Cohen PR, Pierce S, Talpaz M. Immune-mediated and unusual complications during interferon alfa therapy in chronic myelogenous leukemia. J Chn Oncol 1995 13(9) 2401-7. 

English KE, Brien WF, Howson-Jan K, Kovacs MJ. Acquired factor VIII inhibitor in a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia receiving interferon-alfa therapy. Ann Pharmacother 2000 34(6) 737-9. 

Ravandi-Kashani F, Cortes J, Talpaz M, Kantaqian HM. Thrombotic microangiopathy associated with interferon therapy for patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia coincidence or true side effect Cancer 1999 85(12) 2583-8. 

Tothova E, Kafkova A, Stecova N, Fricova M, Guman T, Svorcova E. Immune-mediated complications during interferon alpha therapy in chronic myelogenous leukemia. Neoplasma 2002 49(2) 91. ... 

HPI CC is a 55-year-old woman with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in chronic phase. She was diagnosed with CML 2 years ago. Due to her age, she is deemed not a candidate for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. She had been maintained on interferon-a therapy for the past year but has not achieved cytogenetic remission and complains that she "hates the way the interferon makes me feel." She is in otherwise good health. 

Hochhaus A, Lin F, Reiter A, Skladny H, Mason PJ, van Rhee F, et al. Quantification of residual disease in chronic myelogenous leukemia patients on interferon-alpha therapy by competitive polymerase chain reaction. Blood 1996 87 1549-55. 

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