Summary
Forty-eight consecutive patients with diffuse large cell lymphoma (DLCL) in complete remission (CR) after conventional chemotherapy were enrolled in a prospective clinical trial. The maintenance therapy was a random either nothing or interferon alfa 2b (IFN) 5.0 MU three times a week for one year.
The median duration of CR in the patients treated with IFN has not been reached. After five years 60% of patients remain in CR compared to the control group who had a median CR of 40 months (p<0.001). Actuarial five-years survival in the IFN treated patients was 88% compared to 42% in the control group (p <0.001).
Maintenance therapy with IFN has been beneficial in patients with DLCL with improvement of duration of CR and survival without the excessive toxicity of most common third generation regimen chemotherapy. We felt that IFN could be explored in most controlled clinical trials in patients with DLCL in CR after conventional chemotherapy.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Vos JM, Bierman PJ, Weisenburger DD, Armitage JO: The therapy of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Hematol Oncol Clin NA 5:845–852, 1991
Avilés A. Huerta J, Zepeda G, Guzmán R, Díaz-Maqueo JC: The role of maintenance therapy in the treatment of large cell lymphoma. Acta Oncol 30:959–962, 1991
Figlin RA: Biotherapy in clinical practice. Sem Hematol 26:15–24, 1989
Roth MS, Foon KA: Alpha interferon in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Am J Med 81:871–882, 1986
Gilewski TA, Richards JR: Biological response modifiers in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Sem Oncol 17:74–87, 1990
Longo DL: Biological agents and approaches in the management of patients with lymphoma. Hematol Oncol Clin NA 5:1067–1087, 1991
The non-Hodgkin's lymphoma classification project. National Cancer Institute sponsored study of classification of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Cancer 49:2112–2135, 1982
Avilés A, Díaz-Maqueo JC, Rodríguez L, García EL, Torrás V: Group risk classification of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Arch Invest med 21:11–16, 1990
Kaplan EL, Meier P: Non parametric estimations from incomplete observations. J Am Stat Assoc 53:457–481, 1958
Cox DR: The Analysis of Binary Data. Chapman and Hall, New York, 1970
Sweetentham JW, Mead GM, Whitehouse JMM: Intensive weekly combination chemotherapy for patients with intermediate and high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. J Clin Oncol 9:2202–2209, 1991
Thomas JW, Plenderleigh IH, Landi S, Basco VE, Clemente DV: Bacille-Calmette-Guérin as maintenance therapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Can Med Assoc J 129:439–442, 1983
Ravaud A, Eghbali H, Trujani M, Hoerni-Simon G, Soubeyran P, Hoerni B: Adjuvant Bacillus Calmette Guérin therapy in non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma. Long term results of a randomized trial in a single institution. J Clin Oncol 8: 608–614, 1990
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Avilés, A., Díaz-Maqueo, J.C., García, E.L. et al. Maintenance therapy with interferon alfa 2b in patients with diffuse large cell lymphoma. Invest New Drugs 10, 351–355 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00944195
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00944195