title: Effect of alpha IFN on unaggressive immunoproliferative disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  alpha-IFN is reported to be an effective treatment for a number of lymphoproliferative diseases. Little information is available at present on its effect in unaggressive immunoproliferative disorders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In a prospective non randomized study, 57 patients with IgG or IgA MGUS, smouldering myeloma or stage I MM treated with alpha-IFN (3 MU 3 times a week for at least 6 months) were compared to 129 untreated similar patients. Four patients in the IFN group showed a monoclonal component reduction > 50% versus none in the control group, and 25% of patients suffered disease progression (MC increase > 50% and/or osteolytic lesions) in the IFN group as compared to 18% in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  alpha-IFN administration at the dose used is ineffective for the majority of patients with slowly proliferating immunoproliferative disorders; only a small subgroup of them may benefit from such a treatment.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Ematologia, Università Federico II, Nuovo Policlinico, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Frigeri
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Renzo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marcenò
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Musto
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andriani
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Citarrella
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Caronia
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rotoli
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D007160:Immunoproliferative Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha