Systemic gamma-interferon therapy for recurrent gliomas.

Recombinant gamma-interferon (2 mg/sq m) was administered intravenously twice weekly in 8-week courses to 14 patients with recurrent gliomas. Computerized tomography (CT) evidence of response was seen in only one patient, and stabilization for 12 to 86 weeks was recorded in three. This was a disappointing result, particularly in a series of patients with relatively small initial tumor volumes (less than 50 cu mm on enhanced CT) and Karnofsky functional ratings of 70 or higher. In addition, several instances of toxicity potentially attributable to gamma-interferon were observed.