Alpha-interferon in the treatment of nodular lymphomas

Patients with nodular lymphoma initially respond to a number of therapies but relapse is common and inexorable with time, and despite further therapy, most patients will ultimately die of their lymphoma. The recent demonstration of their sensitivity to alpha-interferon is promising. The importance of this human antitumor effect is that it is presumably based on mechanisms different from conventional agents. Phase I trials of various doses and schedules of recombinant alpha-interferon have shown that effective serum levels can be obtained by intramuscular (IM), intravenous (IV), or subcutaneous (SC) routes. Virtually all patients experienced some degree of acute toxicity manifested by fever, chills, myalgia, and headache. Tolerance usually developed to acute adverse effects within the first few weeks of therapy, regardless of dose or schedule. Fatigue and anorexia were the most important adverse reactions, occurring during the first two weeks of treatment and generally persisting for the duration of therapy. Occasional adverse effects relating to the central nervous and cardiovascular systems have been reported. Primary laboratory abnormalities observed during treatment include decreases in hematologic parameters and elevations of liver function tests. The clinical efficacy of alpha-interferon, both natural and recombinant, has been demonstrated in both untreated and heavily pretreated patients with nodular lymphoma. The response rate has approached 50% in recent studies; however, less than half were complete responders. Future directions include combination of interferon with cytotoxic agents or other biological response modifiers and use as adjuvant therapy.