title: Natural interferon alfa as maintenance therapy for small cell lung cancer.
abstract: We performed a 3-armed phase III study between 1982 and 1990 to evaluate low dose natural interferon alfa (nIFN-alpha) as a maintenance therapy in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) following induction chemotherapy (CT) and consolidation radiotherapy (RT). All patients received four cycles of CT (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, etoposide), followed by split-course RT (55 Gy in 20 fractions over 7 weeks). 410 patients entered the study. 237 patients who completed induction CT + RT and were classified as responders (complete response + partial response) were randomly assigned to arm 1: low dose nIFN-alpha (91 patients); arm 2: maintenance CT, six cycles of CAP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, cisplatin) (59 patients); or arm 3: control arm (no maintenance treatment) (87 patients). Halfway through the study the CAP arm was discontinued. There was no difference in median survival between the groups (IFN: 11 months, CAP: 11 months, control: 10 months), but a clear difference in long-term survival and in survival in the limited disease group, favouring nIFN-alpha maintenance therapy. Proportional hazards regression analysis also showed a significant effect of IFN treatment on survival. Our results suggest a role for nIFN-alpha in maintaining a clinically disease-free status achieved with other treatment modalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mattson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Niiranen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pyrhönen
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Holsti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Holsti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kumpulainen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cantell
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012074:Remission Induction; D015996:Survival Rate; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D014750:Vincristine; D003520:Cyclophosphamide