title: Results in hairy-cell leukemia patients treated with alpha-interferon: predictive prognostic factors.
abstract: Fourty-four evaluable patients with hairy cell leukemia (HCL) were treated with human lymphoblastoid alpha-interferon (alpha-IFN), at a dose of 3 x 10(6) Units a day for 12-18 months while 18 of them continued to receive a three times per week schedule at the same dose as maintenance treatment. Eighteen percent of patients achieved complete response, 64% partial response, and 18% minor response with a median duration of 37.5, 22.9 and 3.5 months respectively. Twenty patients (45%), all partial or minor responders, subsequently had progression of the disease. The progression occurred more frequently in patients who presented at diagnosis with a hairy-cell index value > 0.50 than in those who presented with a hairy-cell index < 0.50: 14/26 (54%) versus 2/11 (18%) respectively. In addition, the progression rate was more evident in "non-maintained" than in "maintained" patients: 16/26 (61.5%) versus 4/18 (22%). Restarting alpha-IFN treatment in 16 of the 20 progressed patients proved effective only in 9 of them. From these findings it appears that a low hairy-cell index at diagnosis correlates favorably with a good hematological response. Furthermore, continuous therapy with alpha-IFN seems very useful in reducing the progression of the disease, in particular in patients with a very high hairy-cell index at diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hematology L. e A. Seràgnoli, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Zinzani
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lauria
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raspadori
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rondelli
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Benfenati
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pileri
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sabattini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001773:Blood Cells / Q000473:pathology; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007943:Leukemia, Hairy Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha