Treatment of hairy cell leukemia: long-term results in a developing country.
Twenty-nine consecutive patients with hairy cell leukemia (HCL) were treated in two institutions with interferon (IFN, n = 18) or cladribine (n = 11), between July 1987 and May 2011. Median age was 62 (range 29-83) years; there were 21 males and 8 females. Seven of the 18 patients in the IFN group (39%) achieved a complete remission (CR), whereas all the patients in the 2-CDA group entered a CR. Three patients in the 2-CDA group relapsed and needed an additional course of the drug, 2, 3 and 6 years after the initial one. The median overall survival (OS) of the whole group has not been reached, being above 217 months, the 217-month OS being 91%. The survival of patients treated with either IFN or 2-CDA was not statistically different (94% OS at 217 months versus 91% OS at 133 months, respectively). The data that we present here suggest that treatment of HCL with either 2-CDA or IFN is equally effective; treatment costs with IFN are substantially lower than those of the purine analog.
Centro de Hematología y Medicina Interna, Clínica RUIZ, Puebla, Mexico. gruiz1@clinicaruiz.com
Guillermo J
GJ
Ruiz-Delgado
Luz C
LC
Tarín-Arzaga
Carlos
C
Alarcón-Urdaneta
Jacqueline
J
Calderón-García
David
D
Gómez-Almaguer
Guillermo J
GJ
Ruiz-Argüelles
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017338:Cladribine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007943:Leukemia, Hairy Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012074:Remission Induction; D016019:Survival Analysis
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D017338:Cladribine