Treatment of malignant endocrine pancreatic tumours with human leucocyte interferon.
22 patients with advanced malignant endocrine pancreatic tumours were treated with human leucocyte interferon 3-6 X 10(6) IU per day. Objective responses (more than 50% reduction in tumour markers or tumour size) were seen in 7/7 with watery diarrhoea/hypokalaemia/achlorhydria syndrome, 3/4 with the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, 6/9 with "non-functioning" tumours, and 1 with a mixed tumour mainly producing somatostatin. The median duration of response was 8.5 months, and all responders improved clinically. Adverse effects seemed more tolerable than those of cytotoxic treatment.
D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007340:Insulinoma / Q000188:drug therapy; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013005:Somatostatinoma / Q000188:drug therapy; D003969:Vipoma / Q000188:drug therapy; D015043:Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy
D007370:Interferon Type I