[Therapy of chronic myeloid leukemia with interferon]

Several modalities are used for treatment of the chronic phase of chronic myelogenous leukemia. Most patients are treated with single agent chemotherapy. However, patients are cured only by isogenic or allogeneic bone marrow transplantation; otherwise the disease regularly proceeds to fatal blastic crisis. Alpha-interferon has an antiproliferative activity against hematopoietic cells in vitro and in vivo. We have treated 10 patients with the chronic phase of Philadelphia--chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia with alpha-interferon. The median duration of the disease was 10 months. Five patients were previously untreated and five achieved hematologic remission. Patients with a disease duration of less than 1 year, who had had no or only minimal pretreatment, showed the best response rates. These experiences confirm published data on interferon therapy. It remains to be determined whether interferon treatment and the hereby induced suppression of the Philadelphia-chromosome-positive cell clone in some patients will improve survival.