Treatment of Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia with interferon

Three patients suffering from Waldenström's disease were treated with recombinant human alpha 2b interferon (INTRON-A, Shering-Essex) as single agent (3 megaU every day or three times a week). After four months of treatment, a striking reduction of serum IgM with normalization of the electrophoretic profile was seen in one patient (who had been splenectomized and intensely pretreated with chemotherapy); IgM was about halved in the remaining two patients. With the lower dosage, tolerance was excellent in all cases. Interferon treatment has to be considered in the management of macroglobulinemia.