title: Meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of interferon-alpha in patients with follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
abstract: The authors wanted to determine whether adding interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) to chemotherapy regimens, in either induction or maintenance settings, provides additional survival benefits in follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). A meta-analysis was performed based on published data from randomized controlled clinical trials involving nine separate study populations. Patients receiving IFN-alpha (in either induction or maintenance therapy) had significantly increased 5-year and progression-free survival rates at 3 and 5 years compared with concurrent controls. The advantages of IFN-alpha therapy were most marked in studies using anthracycline-containing induction chemotherapy; in these studies, patients who received IFN-alpha had approximately 20% increased progression-free survival rates compared with controls and a lesser survival advantage. The available literature did not allow a determination of the relative benefit of IFN-alpha in induction or maintenance treatments for NHL or a determination of the optimum duration of IFN-alpha treatment. Although questions remain about its optimal use. IFN-alpha appears to prolong survival time in patients with follicular NHL.
authors.affiliation: Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: I E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Borden
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Monroe
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kupelnick
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Connelly
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha