title: Role of interferon-alfa in NHL: still controversial?
abstract: Recombinant interferon-alfa (Intron A, Roferon-A) has been under investigation as a therapeutic agent for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) for 25 years. It has antitumor efficacy in a number of histologic subtypes but has not been accepted as a clinically useful agent by the majority of oncologists/hematologists. A total of 10 prospective, randomized trials of interferon-alfa have been conducted in patients with follicular lymphoma. A survival benefit associated with interferon-alfa has been demonstrated in three of these trials, which used an anthracycline-based combination chemotherapy induction regimen, primarily in patients with bulky symptomatic disease. In this article, we review these trials, as well as the use of interferon-alfa in other NHL subtypes. Based on these data, we support the recommendation that interferon-alfa be added to an anthracycline-based induction regimen in the treatment of patients with clinically or histologically aggressive follicular lymphoma. This agent also appears to be effective in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Preliminary clinical data support the need for prospective, randomized phase III trials evaluating the role of interferon-alfa in these disorders.
authors.affiliation: Synertron, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haase-Statz
authors.forename: R V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Smalley
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000188:drug therapy; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha