title: Interferon alpha-2c therapy of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia: long-term results of a multicenter phase-II study. Austrian Biological Response Modifier (BRM) Study Group.
abstract: In a prospective multicenter phase-II trial 80 patients with Philadelphia (Ph)-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) were treated with recombinant interferon (IFN) alpha-2c, administered subcutaneously at an absolute dose of 3.5 megaunits (MU)/day. Complete hematological remission was achieved in 29 (39%) and partial hematological remission in 26 (35%) of the 74 patients evaluable for response. Major cytogenetic responses were observed in ten (13%) and minor cytogenetic responses in 11 patients (15%). Median duration of cytogenetic response was 33 months (range, 2-90); relapses were seen in all of the 11 patients with minor and in three of the ten patients with major cytogenetic responses. Median survival estimates for pretreated (n = 19) and untreated (n = 58) patients were 51 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 30-72) and 77 months (95% CI, 43-111), and the survival probabilities at 5 years were 45% and 54% for the two groups, respectively. Hematological response after 3 months of treatment demonstrated a clear-cut discriminative capacity with 5-year survival probabilities of 100%, 67% and 24% for patients achieving CHR (n = 6), PHR (n = 34), and less than PHR (n = 35), respectively. Landmark analysis at 12, 18, and 24 months after start of IFN therapy and an analysis treating time to cytogenetic response as a time-dependent covariate showed that cytogenetic response was associated with longer survival. The impact of a low-dose IFN regimen on survival in CML patients is unclear and requires further clarification by randomized clinical trials. Early hematological and cytogenetic response to IFN-alpha treatment identifies patients with a favorable long-term prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thaler
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gastl
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fluckinger
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Niederwieser
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Seewann
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sill
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Falk
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duba
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Utermann
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kühr
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Aulitzky
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huber
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D003582:Cytogenetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012074:Remission Induction; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007370:Interferon Type I; D011994:Recombinant Proteins