Low dosage alpha-interferon treatment in patients with advanced cutaneous T-cell lymphoma

Treatment with high dose (10-50 x 10(6) IU/m2 three times a week) of alpha-interferon (alpha-IFN) has been shown to induce remissions in about 50% of patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The optimal alpha-IFN dose, however, is not known. 4 patients with advanced cutaneous T-cell lymphoma were therefore treated with alpha-IFN in low doses of 2-4 x 10(6) IU/m2 three times a wk. 1 complete, 1 partial and 1 minor remission were observed. Skin biopsies before and during treatment were taken from 2 of the patients and showed improvement. Low doses of alpha-IFN can thus induce remission in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.