title: Alpha-interferon treatment for adult T cell leukemia: low levels of circulating alpha-interferon and it's clinical effectiveness.
abstract: We describe a patient with adult T cell Leukemia to whom alpha-interferon therapy was highly effective. Although a combination chemotherapy (ACVP) first introduced was effective in reducing total leukocyte counts, the percentage of leukemic cells relative to total leukocyte counts was decreased first after the institution of alpha-interferon therapy. The patient is now under complete remission for four years. It was noted in this patient that circulating alpha-interferon, measured by a sensitive radioimmunoassay, was consistently low as compared with the value found in the age-, sex-matched healthy control (p less than 0.001). Since adult T cell leukemia is pathogenetically related to the retrovirus infection, low levels of circulating alpha-interferon of the patient may be important from both pathogenetic and therapeutic standpoints. Alpha-interferon therapy may be an useful additive for the chemotherapy of adult T cell leukemia.
authors.affiliation: Section of Internal Medicine, Kobe Kyodo Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saigo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiozawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shiozawa
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wakuya
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masaoka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000032:analysis / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012074:Remission Induction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I