title: Antiangiogenic therapy of a recurrent giant cell tumor of the mandible with interferon alfa-2a.
abstract: We report a 5-year-old girl with a large rapidly growing giant cell tumor of the mandible that recurred 2 months after the first surgical excision and 3 months after a second resection. An angiogenic protein, (bFGF), was abnormally elevated in her urine. The patient was treated with interferon alfa-2a for 1 year because this agent inhibits angiogenesis by suppressing bFGF overexpression in infantile hemangiomas and in other human tumors. During this time the bone tumor regressed and disappeared, the urinary bFGF fell to normal levels, and the mandible regenerated. She has remained tumor-free and has been off therapy for 3 years at this writing. This first successful use of interferon alfa-2a to treat a mandibular tumor in a child demonstrates: 1) low grade tumors that overexpress bFGF may respond to interferon alfa-2a, in a manner similar to life-threatening infantile hemangiomas; 2) antiangiogenic therapy, given without interruption for 1 year, was safe and effective in this patient; and 3) treatment may be continued for 1 year without the development of drug resistance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Kaban
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Mulliken
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ezekowitz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ebb
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Folkman
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000235:genetics; D005870:Giant Cell Tumors / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008334:Mandible / Q000098:blood supply; D008339:Mandibular Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000235:genetics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2