[Hematologic response to low dose natural interferon-alpha in a case of CML with myelo-megakaryoblastic crisis]

A 59-year-old female with splenomegaly was admitted in November, 1989. Her WBC was 7,900/microliters with 51% myeloblasts and 10% megakaryoblasts. Analysis of the surface markers showed that 56.5% were CD13 positive and 66.8% carried platelet GpIIb/IIIa. The Ph1 chromosome was 100% positive. VPM therapy was started but proved ineffective, as was subsequent MCNU therapy. The patient was given intramuscular human lymphoblastoid interferon-alpha (1.2 million IU daily) for more than 20 months. She had improved to the accelerated phase after INF-alpha therapy for 13 months. Thus there appears to be a relationship between INF-alpha and myelo-megakaryoblastic crisis.