Interferon and laryngeal papillomatosis. The Iowa experience

Preliminary findings are presented from an ongoing clinical trial of 19 patients with moderate-to-severe respiratory papillomatosis. The patients were treated with partially purified human leukocyte (alpha) interferon; after treatment periods ranging from 6 weeks to 12 months, six had no residual disease, seven had minimal residual disease, four had moderate disease not requiring rescue laryngoscopies, and two had not responded to treatment. No patient had to be removed from the study because of drug toxicity. Although these appear to be among the best results in the literature to date, we do not know how long treatment will be required.