title: Recombinant interferon alpha-2B for acute post-transfusion hepatitis in acute myeloid leukemia.
abstract: Post-transfusion hepatitis (PTH) is a major problem in patients with acute leukemias requiring blood products during induction or consolidation therapy. In fact, PTH causes delays of chemotherapy with major violations in the timing of protocols. In order to assess the efficacy and safety of a short course of alpha-interferon (alpha-IFN) in inducing early remission of PTH, we treated seven patients who developed acute hepatitis during a post-remissional phase of AML. Patients received 3 MU of alpha-IFN i.m. three times weekly for one month. One patient stopped alpha-IFN at 2 weeks because of severe itching, after ALT normalization. Five out of 6 subjects normalized ALT within a mean time of two weeks. Minor side effects were observed in 2 cases. Three patients relapsed within eight weeks after stopping alpha-IFN. They underwent a second remission upon treatment with the same schedule. All patients continued their treatment protocol for AML without delay.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Medicina Generale e Pneumologia, Università di Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Almasio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mirto
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Malleo
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Marco
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Caronia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Craxi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
chemical_list: D007155:Immunologic Factors; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000410:Alanine Transaminase