Successful treatment of hair cell leukemia with 2'-deoxycoformycin after failure of interferons alpha or beta

Two patients with hairy cell leukemia (HCL) who failed alpha-2a-interferon and one who failed beta-ser-interferon were treated with 2'-deoxycoformycin (DCF), 4 mg/m2, by intravenous bolus infusion every 2 weeks. All three patients achieved a complete response, continuing for 9+, 14+, and 15+ months. Treatment was discontinued when complete remission was diagnosed. DCF-induced remission has not been previously reported after beta-ser-interferon failure. These patients, as well as 12 others in the literature reviewed herein, demonstrate the efficacy of DCF in HCL patients unresponsive to alpha, beta, and gamma interferon.