BACKGROUND: Conventional interferon-alpha (IFN) is an effective treatment for patients with myeloproliferative disorders. However, many patients discontinue therapy because of side effects. METHODS: In this 24-month, Phase II feasibility study of pegylated interferon alpha-2b (PEG-IFN) treatment, a starting dose of 0.5 microg/kg per week was received by 21 patients with polycythemia vera (PV) and 21 patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET). The treatment objective, a complete platelet response (CR), was a platelet count<400x10(9)/L in symptomatic patients and <600 in asymptomatic patients. Neutrophil polycythemia rubra vera-1 (PRV-1) messenger RNA expression was analyzed prior to and during therapy. Quality of life (QoL) was investigated by using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 questionnaire. RESULTS: At 6 months, 29 of 42 patients (69%) had achieved a CR after a median of 83 days. The CR rate was not related to diagnosis, gender, or previous therapy. Nineteen patients completed the planned 2-year treatment in CR. No thromboembolic or bleeding complications were observed. Phlebotomy requirements were reduced in the majority of patients with PV. Five of 14 patients (36%) who initially were positive for PRV-1 achieved normalized PRV-1 expression under PEG-IFN treatment. Side effects were the cause of therapy failure in 16 of 23 patients. However, only 8 of 19 patients reported any side effects at 2 years. The QLQ-C30 revealed clinically significant impairments in several aspects of QoL at 6 months; however, at 2 years, QoL measurements were not different from baseline. CONCLUSIONS: PEG-IFN effectively reduced platelet counts in 29 of 42 patients, but only 19 patients maintained a CR at 2 years. The reversal of PRV-1 positivity noted in a subset of patients suggested that PEG-IFN may have an effect on the malignant clone. PEG-IFN is a valuable therapeutic alternative for patients who tolerate its initial side effects. Copyright (c) 2006 American Cancer Society.
BACKGROUND: Conventional interferon-alpha (IFN) is an effective treatment for patients with myeloproliferative disorders. However, many patients discontinue therapy because of side effects. METHODS: In this 24-month, Phase II feasibility study of pegylated interferon alpha-2b (PEG-IFN) treatment, a starting dose of 0.5 microg/kg per week was received by 21 patients with polycythemia vera (PV) and 21 patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET). The treatment objective, a complete platelet response (CR), was a platelet count<400x10(9)/L in symptomatic patients and <600 in asymptomatic patients. Neutrophil polycythemia rubra vera-1 (PRV-1) messenger RNA expression was analyzed prior to and during therapy. Quality of life (QoL) was investigated by using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 questionnaire. RESULTS: At 6 months, 29 of 42 patients (69%) had achieved a CR after a median of 83 days. The CR rate was not related to diagnosis, gender, or previous therapy. Nineteen patients completed the planned 2-year treatment in CR. No thromboembolic or bleeding complications were observed. Phlebotomy requirements were reduced in the majority of patients with PV. Five of 14 patients (36%) who initially were positive for PRV-1 achieved normalized PRV-1 expression under PEG-IFN treatment. Side effects were the cause of therapy failure in 16 of 23 patients. However, only 8 of 19 patients reported any side effects at 2 years. The QLQ-C30 revealed clinically significant impairments in several aspects of QoL at 6 months; however, at 2 years, QoL measurements were not different from baseline. CONCLUSIONS:PEG-IFN effectively reduced platelet counts in 29 of 42 patients, but only 19 patients maintained a CR at 2 years. The reversal of PRV-1 positivity noted in a subset of patients suggested that PEG-IFN may have an effect on the malignant clone. PEG-IFN is a valuable therapeutic alternative for patients who tolerate its initial side effects. Copyright (c) 2006 American Cancer Society.
Authors: Swarna Mehrotra; Bhumika Sharma; Sonali Joshi; Barbara Kroczynska; Beata Majchrzak; Brady L Stein; Brandon McMahon; Jessica K Altman; Jonathan D Licht; Darren P Baker; Elizabeth A Eklund; Amittha Wickrema; Amit Verma; Eleanor N Fish; Leonidas C Platanias Journal: J Biol Chem Date: 2013-06-28 Impact factor: 5.157
Authors: Anders Lindholm Sørensen; Stine Ulrik Mikkelsen; Trine Alma Knudsen; Mads Emil Bjørn; Christen Lykkegaard Andersen; Ole Weis Bjerrum; Nana Brochmann; Dustin Andersen Patel; Lise Mette Rahbek Gjerdrum; Daniel El Fassi; Torben A Kruse; Thomas Stauffer Larsen; Hans Torben Mourits-Andersen; Claus Henrik Nielsen; Christina Ellervik; Niels Pallisgaard; Mads Thomassen; Lasse Kjær; Vibe Skov; Hans Carl Hasselbalch Journal: Haematologica Date: 2019-12-26 Impact factor: 9.941