title: Alpha-interferon (Wellferon) as an adjunct to standard surgical therapy in the management of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.
abstract: Ten patients received lymphoblastoid alpha-interferon (Wellferon) in a crossover study so that Wellferon and standard microsurgical laryngeal laser therapy could be compared to laser therapy alone. Wellferon was administered initially at an intravenous high dose of 15 megaunits/m2 for 5 days followed by a daily dose of 2 megaunits/m2 subcutaneously for 6 months. Dosage was adjusted according to predefined toxicity. One patient was withdrawn from the study. Of the others, all but one received over 75% of the planned total dose. At follow-up of the nine assessable patients, complete remission was achieved in two of them, partial remission in four, and no response in the remainder. The two complete remissions were sustained for 2 years, but the four partial remissions were not sustained. Thus, a role for alpha-interferon in the kind of regimen used here remains to be established.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: B N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Benjamin
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Gatenby
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kitchen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Basten
mesh_terms: D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D007830:Larynx / Q000601:surgery; D053685:Laser Therapy; D010212:Papilloma / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D011897:Random Allocation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I; D011994:Recombinant Proteins